I was about to head to bed in the wee hours of August 16th, 2020. That was until I noticed an approaching storm from the South at the local mountain range. Since the Bay Area usually only sees a few hours of thunderstorms each year around mid-August to mid-September. I made an effort to get out and take some photos of the passing storm.

I had not seen a storm with such intensity and duration for nearly 20 years in the local area. I was happy to have made the effort to stay up all night and get as many photos as I possibly could. Exhausted, I went to bed listening to the rumbles of what was left of the storm.

During 14 hours, and to my glee, the storm had more than 1200 strikes. It made for easy predicting of the path of the storm. I was able to capture more than 100 photos. It was a very productive evening for photography. Many of you might know of the large forest fires in the Northern part of California. This storm was responsible for starting the fire season in 2020.

As for light painting, I consider this as a natural source of light for light painting. I use the same techniques for capturing light. With the exception that mother nature is providing the light, instead of me using artificial light. Mother Nature provides her challenges. But with some patience, you can capture an awesome shot.

Camera information is as follows:

Sony A6000 with a 12mm Rokinon Lens at F4.5 with 30 Second exposures at iso 100