LIGHTNING AND FIREWORKS TOGETHER? OR, LIGHTNING AND A FIRE TOGETHER? CHECK HERE:

WEEKEND EDITION:

Photography is a great way to showcase images of endangered species, landscapes, and plants. It is often used to help in conservation efforts to help educate, engage, and inspire others to learn more about vulnerable wildlife and ways to help protect them. Co-founder of Pacific Wild and professional photographer Ian McAllister captured this amazing image while working with National Geographic:

“Wolf Checking Out Partially Submerged Camera” by Ian McAllister

McAllister used an underwater housing to capture the image of this elusive creature while on the coast of British Columbia. The wolf was eating a herring roe, when it stopped to examine McAllister’s half-submerged camera. Amazing wildlife photography requires a delicate balance of patience, a good eye, a way to enhance your subject, knowledge about what you’re photographing, and a passion for nature.


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It appeared to be a gloomy evening when photographer Jim Richardson’s boat arrived at Boreray, a remote island off of Scotland’s west coast. He was in for a surprise though, as thousands of birds from the island’s large Gannet colony flew out to greet him:

photo by Jim Richardson

Gannets are large seabirds, typically found on the North Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. Bass Rock off of Scotland’s east coast has the world’s largest Gannet colony, with more than 150,000 birds. It’s considered by naturalists to be one of the wildlife wonders of the world.
This photo was taken right as a bit of sunlight peaked through the clouds.

“Boreray is a wild, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. Home to a great Gannet colony, it was a gloomy evening when my boat arrived, but just as a bit of sunlight poked through thousands of birds flew out to meet us.” — Photographer Jim Richardson

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If you’ve dabbled in photography, you know how hard it is to get the perfect shot. Sure, you’ve read tutorials, carefully researched equipment upgrades, practiced and prepared. Nevertheless, luck is still crucial for capturing a magic moment.

For special situations, like lightning or fireworks, lady luck plays a bigger role in getting a decent shot. How do you know when lightning will strike?  Or where the next firework will explode?

So imagine the excitement photographer Jason Smith felt after capturing these two elusive subjects together in a single exposure.

This shot is explosively good and electrifyingly inspiring! (Pun intended) What are the chances, really?
There are many elements that make this photo great. The bolt of lightning and firework are cleanly captured and perfectly overlaid. The composition of the shot is excellent too. The silhouette of the trees in the foreground hug the sphere of the firework. Together with fade to black above, the framing is ideal.
It’s a once in a lifetime shot that even the photographer admitted to in adding this caption to the photo:

“One of the best pictures I will ever take…”

Indeed, the photo inspires awe. It’s a lesson to all photographers that sometimes it pays to stay up all night. Who knows, you might get lucky.

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There are not many things in this world capable of being as cute as this baby elephant is as he attempts to make some acquaintances. Upon discovering a flock of young cattle egret patiently following him around, he extends his trunk out to the fledglings as if to say hello to his new feathered friends:

Baby Elephant Meets Egrets (Via Imgur.)

Cattle egrets are known to follow herds of elephants so that they can easily hunt their next meal; the presence and impact of the elephants flush bugs out of grass and underbrush.

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Matthew Malkiewicz, the photographer behind Lost Tracks of Time, specializes in photographing locomotives and trains. Here is one of his images, a powerful photo of an engine barreling down the tracks letting out a huge plume of smoke:

Malkiewicz captured the image with a Canon 5D Mark II and a 70-200mm lens. The billowing smoke commands attention in this image, which perfectly compliments the power of the engine. Great composition!


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Nature can present itself in the most unexpected ways. To the photographer’s delight, it can also bless us with a few ‘too-good-to-be-true’ moments. This eerie yet magnificent photo was captured by Simon Christen, who noticed the small spider perfectly silhouetted against the summertime moon:

The Swiss born photographer began his love affair with the visual arts after reading National Geographic magazines as a child. He moved from graphic design to Pixar animation, then urban photography to nature and landscapes.

“My love for nature and adventure has fueled my passion for photography even more. I have been fortunate to travel to some truly breathtaking places around the world, visiting almost every continent.”

Christen explains that his backyard spider friend seems happy and healthy:

“She builds a new web every night and seems to do pretty well for herself.”

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An image from space brings a new perspective on the visual and physical impact of an erupting volcano. In fall of 1994, six NASA crew members were on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour (as part of the Space Radar Laboratory 2 mission) when they noticed a dusty streak spreading across the northeast of the globe. The ashy plume tailing from the Klyuchevskoy volcano in Russia was captured with a 70mm camera, 150 nautical miles above Earth:

The 1994 Klyuchevskoy volcano eruption as documented by NASA from the Space Shuttle Endeavor. (Via NASA.)

The beautifully symmetrical 4,835 meter tall volcano is found in the Kamchatka region of Russia, straddled by the Sea of Othotsk, the Bering Sea and the North Pacific. The volcano has been steadily active since its origination an estimated 6,000 years ago, with more than 100 eruptions occurring since first documentation in the late seventeenth century.

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It’s not every day you bump into someone with the title of Snail Photographer. Vyacheslav Mishchenko is a macro enthusiast with an eye for land dwelling gastropods. Take a look at the adorable image below which is just one of many from Mishchenko’s charming portfolio:

Stop and smell the flowers.

Mishchenko also has a penchant for capturing fascinating images of other creatures like frogs, lizards, and butterflies.

“I photograph all insects but snails have touched my heart particularly. I think that snails are simply extraordinary not only in their shape and form but also in their beauty and behavior. They are magic creatures for me. I think they catch the attention of many people, not just mine.”

As far as shooting, he says he never moves the animals for a photograph. He maintains that everything he photographs actually exists in nature and attributes a lot of his success to being in the right place at the right time. His weapons of choice? A Fuji FinePix S200EXR and Nikon D7000 with a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G Micro lens.

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A wildfire in the hills of Wenatchee, Washington. Firefighters had had a difficult time containing the wildfire, and further concerns were voiced when weather patterns showed a thunderstorm preparing to roll in. Despite the chance of rainfall, firefighters were more concerned about the high winds and potential for new fires to ignite from lightning strikes. As the storm formed overhead, Cushman Photography captured this image of multiple lighting strikes over the raging wildfire:

Though somewhat terrifying in its potential destructiveness, this scene is also beautiful. It shows multiple forces of nature and the awesome power it holds. Obviously, there is concern for the people, homes, businesses, and wildlife in the area. But being able to witness (and capture) nature in this state is incredible.

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Hope you enjoyed the weekend edition.  Just good interesting photos that we don't normally see.  If you have Photos that you have that you would like to post, contact me at:

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