Archive 2017 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

kevphoto
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

I was recently at Machu Picchu (before their recent disastrous flooding), and while taking a photo of an approaching rain storm, I happened to catch a bolt of lightning. This was a handheld exposure of 1/120th of a second, and there had been no prior lightning, so I had amazing luck! Here is that image:

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Machu-Picchu-and-the-trek-to-Huc/i-ZjsZnxR/0/XL/_DSF2791-Edit-XL.jpg

Fuji X-T2, Rokinon 12mm lens, f-stop around f/8.

Mar 25, 2017 at 12:08 PM

EGrav
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

Mar 25, 2017 at 12:17 PM

JimFox
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

That is truly awesome! Great timing and good job with handholding this.

Jim

Mar 26, 2017 at 01:20 AM

Bart Carrig
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

Wow! Extraordinary capture. I see the rivers are full and muddy. Did you hike in from the top? Great work.

Bart Carrig

Mar 26, 2017 at 07:11 AM

kevphoto
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

Thanks for the comments!

Bart: We didn't hike--we stayed the night in Aguas Calientas and took the bus up. We had planned to walk down, but this rainstorm changed our minds and we took the bus back down, too.

Here's a gallery of other photos from that weekend: https://kplphoto.smugmug.com/Travel/Machu-Picchu-and-the-trek-to-Huc/

Mar 26, 2017 at 07:22 AM

Ben Horne
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

That's pretty crazy to capture lightning with a shutter speed that fast! Looking at the photo makes me nervous knowing that you are also up high, and it looks like the bolt is striking at a very similar elevation to where you are.

Mar 26, 2017 at 10:46 AM

kmunroe
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

nice catch on the lightning Kevin

Mar 27, 2017 at 03:50 AM

PeterDocTog
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Lightning at Machu Picchu

Striking image! What's semi-funny is that without the lighting bolt, the composition wouldn't have been that great (ie. cutting off the river). But with it, it turned out to be quite the lucky shot.

Mar 27, 2017 at 07:39 AM


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