Gorgeous Landscape Photos Of A Grand Canyon Lightning Storm

Landscape photographer Rolf Maeder went out for a routine trip with a couple of friends to photograph sunsets at the Grand Canyon, near his home in Arizona. What he got was something spectacular when he managed to shoot these Grand Canyon lightning storm photos.

The sunset proved less than photogenic, but they soon saw a thunderstorm rolling in from the east. They set up tripods and waited for the storm to approach.

Rolf Maeder, Photography Sedona

To capture multiple strikes of lightning in one photograph, Maeder used long exposures of twenty to twenty-five seconds. One of his friends used a flashlight to "light-paint" the foreground.

Rolf Maeder, Photography Sedona

While knowing where to focus and how to shoot at night comes from hardened practice learned over time, Maeder conceded that often even he doesn't know what is going to come out in a particular picture.

Rolf Maeder, Photography Sedona

"Catching the lightnings is a guess where they will appear …" said Maeder. "The real outcome can only be seen at it's full glory, back at home on the computer."

Rolf Maeder, Photography Sedona

After shooting, Maeder converted this image to black and white on his computer. You can see how he processed each of the storm images here.

Rolf Maeder, Photography Sedona

If you like Maeder's work, you can order prints here or sign up for his "Pic of the Month," which features a free desktop background, on his blog.