Lightning and milky way

[alan72]

A trip out to a new spot to shoot the Milky Way on Saturday night. An hours drive across dirt tracks into the sticks to this abandoned mosque and graveyard in the Qobustan area of Azerbaijan. It was a little cloudier than I had hoped for from the forecast but we had the unexpected bonus of thunderstorms and lightning drifting across the desert towards us.

The site is a very dark location, almost as good as it gets, but I had not expected to see so much light pollution from the distant towns some 50-70km away. I guess with less cloud it would be less visible.

We got out before the lightning and rain reached us!

Constructive c&c welcome.

Thanks

Alan

More from Azerbaijan on my site here.

http://www.alancrosslandfotografy.com/azerbaijan


Electric light show by Alan, on Flickr

 

[StewartR]

I think it's beautiful and unusual.

But I have to say there's something bugging me about the composition. I think it's because that dome is right in the middle. It demands to be looked at, though it's not really the focus of the image. Had I been there and been able to think it through (which I probably wouldn't, because hindsight is always superior) I think I would have moved the camera position a little way to the left. I'd have placed the dome in the bottom right corner with the Milky Way pointing down towards it diagonally across the frame. And then with a bit of luck the lightning strike would have been to the left of the dome, in the area at the bottom of the Milky Way where your eye would naturally be led to it.

 

[StewartR]

Here's a very crude mockup of how I'd have preferred to compose it. (All I've done is move the dome to the right, to simulate what it would look like if the camera position was moved to the left.) Hope you don't mind.

 

[dan_yell]

I've always wanted to get a photo of lightning.

I like Stewarts suggestion.

Interesting location!

 

[derbydude]

I agree with Stewart great capture but it would look better if the dome was to right having said that its a cracker

 

[alan72]

I think it's beautiful and unusual.

But I have to say there's something bugging me about the composition. I think it's because that dome is right in the middle. It demands to be looked at, though it's not really the focus of the image. Had I been there and been able to think it through (which I probably wouldn't, because hindsight is always superior) I think I would have moved the camera position a little way to the left. I'd have placed the dome in the bottom right corner with the Milky Way pointing down towards it diagonally across the frame. And then with a bit of luck the lightning strike would have been to the left of the dome, in the area at the bottom of the Milky Way where your eye would naturally be led to it.

Thanks Stewart, no worries with the edit, with hindsight I do wish I had tried more compositions and agree putting the mosque off centre to the right would have worked well, as your edit suggests, and I like the mock up! Gives me an excuse to go back for another session