In the Beginning...

This shot has incredibly dramatic lighting ( thats not a misprint) The way the foreground, coast, water and sky are lit. is breathtaking.
Great stuff!

A ripper image.

Whoa you folks are quick – thank you for your lovely comments

excellent

This looks very spectacular Geoff ! the colours are amazing too.Did you crop this at all? If so I’d also love to see the full version.

:)

Brilliant Geoff

Wow, amazing capture, would have loved to have witnessed this :)) Scary but magic !!!!

**!
wht a spectacular result but do take care!

Thanks Antanas.
Tony – yeah it’s about a quarter of the original shot. Love to show you it but don’t know how to post it into the comments box. Any suggestions? It was one of those “I can’t believe this…” shots. I was just setting up the camera and because it was night I couldn’t seen anything through the viewfinder so just pointed the camera vaguely in the direction I’d seen the lightning flashing just to get a shot to sort out my composition, level horizon. focal length, etc. That’s how I shoot at night – take a shot, look at it on the LCD, make the relevant adjustments, take another shot, etc until I get it right. Then I take the shot I want. So this was my first set-up shot for the night and of course this lightning bolt chose to go off just then and right at the extreme edge of the frame (the original was in landscape mode) lol. So believe me it took some surgery to get it up to this point I can tell you lol!!

Oops – thanks LIndsay, Global and dingy – you all jumped in while I was writing that piece to Tony.

Awesome capture.

wow what an awesome shot well done!

Wow!! Fantastic shot.

This is just spectacular!!!!!!!!! Absolutely superb, i love it.

Woohoo, nice one :)

Great shot fantastic ocean views just spectacular

(insert the sound of a jaw dropping here)

Speechless!!

Bloody hell – awesome work Geoff!

OMG, this is bloody awesome! One of the best lightening shots I have ever seen. Brilliant work!

Great capture Geoff, love the colours!

Really awesome capture! So close to missing it! Jaw dropper for sure!

Wow wow and again wow!!! I think my favourite of yours. This is so surreal, the colours, clarity, and strength of the lightning just make for a perfect and rare shot. Spectacular capture Geoff!! :))

Thanks to everyone for your generous comments – very much appreciated.

wow!

breathtaking shot

very very good shot. wish i was that good.

Wow…..great timing and the color, WOW!

this is great.

Stunning capture Geoff! Simply breathtaking!!

That is an impressive picture. Way to go!!! You really captured the power and colour of the storm.

stunning

awesome…. great timing

I recall this being one of the first images of yours I saw and immediately I fell in love with your work Geoff, this is truly majestic and equally stunning!

thanks

Excellent capture!!

One of the best lightning shots I’ve seen, Geoff. A+.

There are some particularly lovely comments here – thank you one and all for taking the time to write them.

Now that is a lighting capture, best of class from me

This is a fantastic lightning shot.

sweet

stunning

Brilliant capture… shooting lightning isnt the safest thing to do, metal tripod, metal camera on a high point…. great reward though.

Very cool!!!

Great composition

Incredible timing! Well done!

amazing shot!

Great shot

Beautiful shot just an amazing catch.

This was definitely worth getting wet for! WOW! Perfection!

Spectacular capture!!!

Simply beautiful….great colour!

WOW, this is amazing, excellent capture

amazing capture, and a what wonderful imagination you have!

superb image; couldn’t have planned it any better….breathtakingly beautiful!

this is an awesome shot! definitely a fave!

The composition is unbelevablely good. I can’t put into words how much I like it!

Top shot…electrifying capture.

Wow, fabulous! That’s so close! Eee!

Unreal Geoff…don’t know how I missed checking this one out…that’s one hell of a bolt…yep, an underdak changing experience..!!...

Awesome image. Brilliant capture.

A truly amazing shot. The colours are awesome. I love lightening but probably not as closely as you experienced it.

Wow… what a capture!!!

This is absolutely stunning, I love it!!!

Brilliant capture Geoff, it just goes to show that sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time and have a little luck to boot! good stuff

wow what a capture! beautiful

Awesome!

Wow, awsome,fantastic, love it.

Oh yeah, we can never take nature for granted….magnificent capture!!

congratulation on the feature image, great shot

Stunning shot, great colour and composition …

Congrates on scoring the water and seascape avitar Geoff, it’s an oustanding image.

Stunning Geoff!

this is brilliant
you are also

Another spectacular shot, well done

This is brilliant…..instant fave.

Congrads on being feature pick…well deserved…this shot is crazy awesome
composition, color, crispness…shockingly perfect…well done Geoff!

Brilliantly captured!!! Congratulations on having “In the Beginning…..” chosen for the new Avatar!!!

Geoff ~ I am so glad you were chosen for being recognized ~ otherwise I might have missed this “vision” ~ just spectacular!! And congrats ~ well deserved :)

Very well deserved! Top shot!

Congrats Geoff!!

a amazing shot Geoff – well done for a great capture

Brilliant shot and great to see av etc on the comments. Have been trying to shoot storms for ages and never managed this might just help. Again fantastic image

Spectacular capture! Great title! And congratulations on featured image!

beautiful work! spectacular sight!

Fantastic! Congratulations.

congrats… well deserved…. great image.. was this a compilation?

WOW! stunning work, congrats

Georgous !! Great brilliant color and capture ! And I love the title.

stunning image and congratulations on the win!!

omg this is a shot I can only dream about, I love it. fantastic. I want one. lol

Congratulations, a superb capture, inspired, well worth the adventure.

Congrats on your image being chosen – very dramatic image! I’d love to photograph lighting at some stage. We don’t get mugh here in the Uk, those lighting deflectors we have must be doing their job! Shame though, I love a good thunder storm! :-)

wow good on you such brilliance in this image,the best strike i have seen here

brilliant capture

What can I say – it’s all been said. I was gobsmacked by this shot when at first glance I thought it might be photoshop added lightning. To read and find that you had actually captured this in camera – unbelievable! I dream of storm pictures like this. Very scary though, but what a rush eh! What an amazing photograph.

The ever elusive lightening shot … well captured!!

nothing I could add it is just awesome.
congratulations Jerry

Geoff that was one amazing storm – I was at a party and wishing I had my camera with me as I watched it . but don’t think I’d have liked being out in it!

Think this is the best strike I’ve ever seen !

Congratulations, it is an absolutely awesome picture and a story to go with it, all the better. :-)

stunning!

lightning is so so scarry, i tried very hard to capture a storm we had just recently and all i got was blurry lights, like you i couldnt see in the view finder so not having done this before it was a learning curve. well done on your capture and thanks for sharing how you did it to.

Amazing capture. Well worht the danger element. John

Wow what a treat to log on this moring and come to this – I am blown away by the response this image has got since being chosen as the Water and Seascape avitar. Thanks to all for your generous comments – very much appreciated. And for those who asked – yes it’s real (and I’ve got the scars to prove it lol).

Wow wow wow this is an amazing photograph the storm is very close….

Brilliant image !!! Absolutely love it.

Wow, this is an amazing shot! Great timing, colours and framing. Excellent work!

Fantastic!

amazing work Geoff

Biblical indeed. An amazing capture that has that illusive quality called “quality”

awesome image, your braver than me.

Absolutely stunning mate

Probably one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever experienced. This is magnificent beyond words and thoughts…

This picture is simply incredible, well done

What an amazing shot, your so lucky to have storms like that.
I look forward to the rest of the series.
Watching

One of the best lightning captures I’ve ever seen! Superb Geoff and thanks for the life-risking effort to bring it to us! ;)

This is truly amazing. Wondeful colour and contrast. I can see that this would have been very scary but well worth the fear. Well done.

It was worth all of the effort.

Wow, what an amazing shot!!!!

Wow that is a really amzing shot. I love the brilliant colours as well as the bolt.

Outstanding capture Geoff, sounds like it was quite an exciting night for you!

stunning capture!

Absolutely stunning work.

Great shot! Incredible colors.

congratulation on this being chosen as the sescapes avater!! its still a huge favourite of mine and the recognition is so well deserved!! well done
:))

I love storm captures, but this…is beyond anything I’ve seen. I’m just captivated. I wish I had the words that this makes me feel. I’m at a loss.

This is an absolutely stunning shot. The timing was perfect. Everything about it is amazing. Very well done! :-o :D

Powerful…awesome colors, brilliant composition. I love storms. The turbulent waters…moody….excellent.

It’s all been said, Stunning!!!

Amazing shot. It has a surreal feel to it. The colors are awesome…..again,Amazing!!

Outstanding capture.

this is an amazing image! do you leave the shutter open and then close it after thelightning hits? im curious to take photographs of lightning…it fascinates me!

This takes my breath away.

..gobsmacked…lol..Excellent..

Wow !

Great shot Geoff… persitance has paid off! Certainly can be a frustrating time trying to capture such a good photo like this. You have done well!

Stunning… simply stunning !

how beautiful this is awesome i love how it branches off and it also perfectly placed

This is by far an excellent shot and woooow I love the color picked up here, amazing shot!

great image! the name fits it well.

yeah geoff i dont know what to say.you are the master!!
perfect and im glad you stuck out your neck for this one so that we can enjoy it.thanks.its brilliant work.

What an amazing shot!!

Amazing sight captured so wonderfully. Great work :)

another amazing shot…great stuff geoff

I HAVE LEARNED MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY AND INSPIRATION IN THE FIVE MINUTES OF LOOKING THRU YOUR WORK THAN I HAVE IN A VERY LONG TIME

Wow, what a story and shot.. You’re alot braver than me.. You do excellent work.

Stunning image. Love it.

This is just awesome, Geoff – ALL of this series is simply stunning!! Dramatic composition, wonderful deep colours – fantastic capture! Love your story too!

Powerful!

excellent work

This is stunning! What an amazing shot- glad you took the risk and it turned out okay! : )

Tremendous capture…

fantastic capture!!

Great capture, a beautiful picture.

Wow – I just love lightning and this is a great shot.

Great image!!

Awesome (and Scary) Capture! Great Work!

Spectacular capture

Fantastic light and capture. Love it so much that I voted for it in the Eerie lighting challenge. Superb composition, color and exposure.

A cracking good image. Well done. An instant fav.

An outstanding capture; fantastic work!!!!

VERY cool shot!! Oneday hope to capture something like this myself. Congrats on winning the contest as well, great job!!

fantastic shot – congrats on winning!

LOL you won the “Electifying” contest :), congrats again!!
http://www.redbubble.com/lightning-and-storms/challenges/1132-electrifying

Gee I can’t believe it. Your shot won the Lightning and Storms challenge, how surprising… (how could it not winning, totally stunning congrates ;-)

wontherful whish we had storms like that

Fantastic shot !! incredibly beautiful
Congratulations for winning the challenge !!

STUNNING CAPTURE! CONGRATS AND WELL DESERVED !

WHAT AN AMAZING, FANTASTIC CAPTURE!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING THE CHALLENGE!!!!

Im new here and Geoff I clicked on your picture because I love lightning. This is wonderful. I hope to be sharing some of my lightning with you guys very soon.

Stunning…ive no other words !

Congrats on your win, brilliant shot !!

Absolutely amazing and a worthy winner. Well done and congrats.

OMG I AM SO JEALOUS, I know these shots are so hard to get, I wish I could get one. Fantastic work.

Another awesome shot. :)

Great work on this image! Well done!!

sweet! Paul.

I’m scared now! Na not really.

fabulous!!

Just stunning…..striking capture! oooohhhh! though thanks for all your info/tech details. I have been close to lightening strikes twice…....but I’m still fascinated by electrical storms!!

The powerof this shot is fantastic and your use of colour,Bev

This is one amazing shot!!!

Superbe !!!

Wow, this is awesome!!!!

Stunning!

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE IN THE WORLD IT IS, LIGHTNING IS FACINATING. SCARY TO SOME, GORGEOUS TO ME AND OTHERS. I’VE BEEN WITHIN 85 FEET OF A STRIKE AND I WAS UNDER A CORIGATED TIN ROOF THAT WAS SITTING ON WOODEN POSTS AND RAILS. THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED ME, THE WOOD. OTHERWISE, METAL POLES WOULD HAVE TRANSFERRED IT STRAIGHT TO THE WATER PUDDLE I WAS STANDING IN AND THE EGGS IN THE GROCERY BAG WOULD HAVE BEEN PAR BOILED. TALK ABOUT STANDING HAIRS. WHEW! I HAD TO FAVORITE YOUR IMAGE, IT IS FANTASTIC. BOB :)

Fricken awesome!

Totally stunning mate, brilliant in every way!!

What an incredible capture Geoff! This is the kind of photo a photographer would strive to achieve in their life. Its perfectly balanced out, even the lightning seems to have posed perfectly for you! I love the array of colours you have captured in this, from the incredibly lit up sky, down to the cliff face, where the green is still visable. It must have been such an incredible experience being in the midst of a storm like that. Being able to take it home with you is something else!

Super capture

AWESOME…

INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL & MAGICAL SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!xx

A cracking image Geoff. Well done. An instant fav.

great shot Geoff

g’day Geoff, just a quick question, does this have much saturation added, or all natural colour and hue ? awesome shot man, and you are braver than me. though i was once told to squat down in the middle of no where on one leg if it looked like i might get hit by lightning, never tested it. ( then again i do not think i can successfully squat on one leg… ) hahahah

Pure Brilliance – the lightning AND the shot.

Fantastic photo, love the colours! Last year in our summer home there was also a thunderstorm and I was just waking up, I was sleeping alone in our sauna, the others were in the main house. Suddenly there was such loud noise that I was 100% sure that our main house was gone. It just was somewhere very near. Thankfully nothing happened but I can understand how you felt taking that picture. I would love to photograph lightnings one day, we just don’t get so many of them in Estonia.

congrats on the feature in Light and Reflection. The shot is wonderful, the lighting over the land is truly special, and i can almost feel the crackle of the lightning. Thanks for sharing .

Fabulous!!!!! Awesome!

Awesome ,magical,brilliant,electrifying…....one for the wall!

congratulations on being featured in the Canon DSLR group
your hosts at Canon DSLR

wow strong image, I love lightnings, not so long ago I managed to capture my own :)

ah and btw this is going straight to my favs :)

awesome

Its funny how we put ourselves at risk to get such spectacular images, without even really thinking about it. Beautiful work Geoff!

YOUR PORTFOLIO IS FANTASTIC, AND HOW I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET A SHOT LIKE THIS. LIGHTENING THEY SAY IS HARD

Wow that’s great capture…Well done.

One seriously cool lightning strike.

Masterful shot Geoff!

wow what a great shot!!! This is just beautiful!!

wow what a great shot!!! This is just beautiful!!

Totally awesome work

AMAZING SHOT!!! I LOVE IMAGES LIKE THIS!!

Fantastic capture!

wow i did not know that things like that can be captured and still keep the nature of it

breathtaking

wow

so jealous, it’s BRILLIANT. Well done.

Excellent stuff Geoff, this would look excellent in our group “In the Eyes Of Danger”! http://www.redbubble.com/groups/in-the-eyes-of-danger

Incredible shot Geoff, congatulations! I grew up Loftus, and the National Park was my backyard….it must have been an exciting night in that magical place.

Fantastic shot as always! Well done!

Feature in The Shire group

Does RB hand out bravery medals? Well, you may have to settle for our stunned looks of awe about the image and that you are still here. Should I suggest you do more?

AWESOMMME POWERRR!

WINNER!! of the Mood & Ambience group challenge Lightning Bolts

Congratulations,,,this is excellent..

WOW !!!!!

Congratulations Geoff on winning That One Great Shot challenge !!!!!
in order to feature your beautiful work I need it to be entered into the main gallery . thanks cheers Jane !

Congrats on the challenge win – well deserved…

Wow this is Beautiful.. Great capture Geoff

another amazing shot!

Wow! What a fantastic image and Excellent capture of the lightening strike! This is going into my favorites!

Superb in every possible way, exactly why you are one of my favourite photographers on the Bub and why I came back for inspiration ;))

I’ve just come across this image and your work – fantastic – very powerful – I can certainly understand what it’s like to be up close and personal to nature. Great capture. I bet you could smell this one “ozone”.

Love a good storm, and the colour you have here is pretty cool too :-)

Amazing capture. Your portfolio is so interesting, every shot is fascinating. Thankyou for sharing :)

That is incredible, an amazing photo :-)