Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning strike over Tampa Bay as seen from Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

Since this shot was selected as an Editors’ Pick, I figured I’d share a bit more about how it came together. At the time, I was living in downtown St. Pete and was out at dusk shooting long exposures of the boats in the marina—one of my favorite things to do.

I had my Nikon D610 with the 18–35mm lens mounted and was set up in Vinoy Park. My girlfriend told me to turn around and look out over the bay. She knew I wasn’t a fan of lightning—living in Florida, it came up often—but storms around Tampa Bay are always putting on a show with thick, dramatic bolts.

When I turned around, a spectacular display was already underway, strike after strike. I picked up my tripod, moved to the edge of the water, and set up quickly. It might seem counterintuitive for lightning, but since I was already shooting 30‑second marina exposures, I kept the same settings—and they worked perfectly here.

You can even see the construction of the new pier in the background, with the silhouettes of heavy equipment visible.

I’ve included the EXIF data below, and I’ve also uploaded a sister image featuring another strike.