Lightning Rod - a photo on Flickriver

Lightning Rod

            There's no way to plan storms. But it's certainly possible to formulate a plan for what to do when storms arrive. One such strategy was to come to this abandoned farmstead during a thunderstorm. I wanted to witness first hand as the old buildings were enveloped by the fury of a storm. My moment. arrived recently as Doppler radar revealed yet another line of heavy thunderstorms drifting south off of Lake Erie putting them on a collision course with the farm. I grabbed the camera and headed straight for the property. Storms normally move from west to east here. But given the setting here, a storm approaching from the north was going to provide the best visual. And this storm was really taking its time, hovering less than a mile away but barely moving. I just love these 'approach' moments right before a storm strikes. And slow movers such as this really stretch out the ecstasy. Wonderful cloud structure was developing ahead of the rain, along with rumbles of thunder from numerous lighting strikes. I eyed the lightning rods along the ride of the old barn. Would they still work? Were they even still connected? And what would happen if lightning actually struck one? The barn loomed at least 60 feet overhead. Surely those rods have taken direct bolts in the past. 

I'm always weighing risk when shooting on abandoned properties. Not just the storm in this case but the chest high weeds I was walking through. Totally freaks me out to be walking where I can't see my feet. In my mind, each step could be crunching down on a six foot rat snake. Or causing me to plummet down an old water well. Or maybe I'll get off with just a bunch of ticks crawling under my clothing. Quite an eye-opener when tick bites are the best case scenario. The trick is to move slowly and deliberately. Nothing good comes from rushing into the unknown. In the midst of these thoughts the clouds parted momentarily and allowed the bright summer sunshine to flood the landscape. Moments like this are both illusory and transformative. Everything changes in an instant, then changes right back again. Blink and you miss it. Or click the shutter and relive it forever.

Taken on: August 1, 2021

Tags:

storm

rural

scenic

backdrop

sun

summer

seasons

cycles

weathered

barn

dreary

bleak

gritty

beauty

forlorn

energy

witness

boundary

life

death

atmosphere

searching

fleeting

seeing

feeling

Ohio « less

Groups appears in: • Barns • Rural America - (Opted out of 30/60) more » • If These Walls Could Talk... (no 30/60 limit!) • Rural Photos • Abandoned, Neglected, Weathered, or Rusty • Rural Deterioration • The world through photography « less

Camera: Nikon D7000, f/6.7, 1/180 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 1000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7000
Lens:	18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/6.7
Exposure Time:	0.006 sec (1/180)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	1000
Exposure Bias:	+1/2 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 21.2 (Macintosh)
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