A couple days ago, I heard a low rumble in the distance. When I heard it a second time, I knew what it was, so I rushed to the balcony to retrieve the clothes from the clothes line (yes, that’s how we dry our clothes in Spain). The sky was a turbulent dark mass of churning water vapor. Electrical storms are fairly rare here, compared to where I grew up, so I jumped at the opportunity to attempt some lightning photography. I ran to fetch the tripod, camera, and timer, and carried them all upstairs. The problem was that the storm was coming from the south, and the only windows I had available were east and west. I chose east, and pointed the camera to the southeast, hoping that the storm would pass on that side of the house. I set the camera for automatic shutter speed and to take photographs every five seconds. And I waited…

The tip of a lightning bolt from the right.

Creepy little electric fingers.

I love this violet color. This photo wasn’t edited at all!

This is the best bolt shot I ended up getting. Apparently it was so bright that the shutter closed before getting any light from the neighboring clouds.