So in my last article, about my day at Zion National Park, I posted quite a few pictures.  I left one out.  I left it out because it’s one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken and I thought it deserved its own post.  You can learn all you want about photography but there are certain times where you just get flat out lucky.

This photo is one of those lucky ones.  Shortly after I took the sunset picture leaving Zion National Park (the last one from the previous article) I noticed a massive rain cloud to my left.  I made a big turn around a bend and watched the road as the rain cloud began draw closer to the sunset, making for an unforgettable scene.  I could not safely pull off the road so I screamed at the storm to stay where it was.  Finally I saw a place I could pull off, which happened to be next to a small hill, about 30 feet tall, absolutely perfect for getting a slightly higher vantage point.

Then it got even better.  I noticed lightning in the giant rain cloud!  I (literally) ran up the hill and framed my shot.  My heart was racing, not from the run up the hill but from what I saw through my viewfinder.  Snap!  Lightning struck the ground below, I tried to click my camera shutter quickly enough to capture it but missed.  I had to try again.  Snap!  Almost got it this time.  Snap!  Crap, I missed it badly, maybe it’s going to be too hard to SNAP!  OH MY GOSH I CAUGHT THE LIGHTNING BOLT IN THE PICTURE!

So, without further ado, here is one of my favorite pictures of all time: the beauty of a wonderful sunset framed by the fury of a raging and sudden thunderstorm.  I hope you enjoy it!

Beauty and Fury, by Andy Luten