Indian Key 5, by Clyde Butcher

Clyde Butcher is the preeminent master of Florida landscape photography. He is arguably the best landscape photographer in the country today. His stunning black and white images shot on large format film evoke instant longing to go find a Florida back road and follow it wherever it takes you, just don’t forget your camera.

Thanks to my Father-In-Law, I was not only able to attend a lecture by Clyde and his long time friend and fellow photographer Jeff Ripple tonight…I also got to spend a few moments speaking with him. As I drove down to the event tonight (the opening of their joint showing at Bradenton’s “South Florida Museum”) I wondered what I would ask him if I had the chance.

I met my Father-In-Law at the museum and went in. It was the first time I had been to an actual showing of Butcher’s work in all their enormous glory. Shot in either 8″X10″, 11″X14″ or 12″X20″ formats, his images can be printed from 11″X14″ up to 5′X8′. These big, beautiful images take you right where the shots were taken. Standing in front of these images I can feel the earth beneath my feet, wet or dry. I can smell the air, feel the warmth of the sun, hear the birds call. It’s a visceral experience, a virtual absorption into the mind of the artist.

Clyde is 67 years old. He left his career as a successful architect to be a full time landscape photographer a year before I was born. All of the sudden talking to Clyde felt a little daunting.

Clyde Butcher and Thomas Sabo

I bought “Florida Landscape“, a book of Clyde’s images for him to sign. When I approached him I felt instantly at ease. The term “salt of the earth” comes to mind, a friendly and open man.

We spoke about his passion for photography, his leap from architecture to art, and the risks associated with it. I asked if he had any advice on how to “get there” and he gave me the simplest advice I think I’ve ever been given: “Just keep doing it”.

Sometimes I guess it really is that simple.  “Just keep doing it.”

There was something else I needed to know.  I have a close personal attachment to my photographs.  I can remember every circumstance, every feeling, emotional and physical from every shot.  I needed to know if I was the only one.  With a little more timidity I asked him “Do they call to you?“

He looked up, he had been signing my book when I asked.  “What?” he said.

“Your photos,” I replied “do they call to you?“  Wondering if I was sounding as silly if I felt like I was.  Then an amazing thing happened.  He looked me straight in the eye, with a look of complete understanding and replied with one word.

“Absolutely.”

Nothing more needed to be said.  He understood what I was asking and I had gotten my answer.  It was really a wonderful moment, meeting what surely was a kindred spirit.

We attended the lecture in the planetarium where both Clyde and Jeff spent an hour projecting their images onto the ceiling of the dome and explaining each individual shot.  They were generous with both their knowledge and experiences, sharing both the beauty and the environmental importance of the Florida Everglades.  It was a great lecture and I enjoyed it greatly.  If you ever have the opportunity to view Clyde and Jeff’s work, take it.  If you have an opportunity to hear them speak don’t miss it, you’ll be happy you did.

Clyde Butcher and Thomas Damgaard Sabo

There was a good size storm raging over the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 miles to the West. Overhead it was clear and still, stars sparkling brightly. There was no sound of lightning, just some random flashes. I saw them out of the corner of my eye as I stood there. Then I saw a big, single bolt…lost behind the house across the street.

Hmmm. Wish I hadn’t seen that. Maybe it was a fluke, the only big bolt to come down. Wouldn’t be able to capture it anyway with the houses on the other side of the street (I normally shoot off the back of the house where I have a clear view over the lake).

As I was trying to convince myself I could let this one go another huge silent bolt streaked down from the top of this beautiful thunderhead, with additional bolts lighting the cloud from the inside.

Dammit.

OK, the only way I can get this is from my roof. I couldn’t…could I? My wife will surely think I’ve lost my mind. Oh, what the heck…if she doesn’t know I’m crazy by now she probably should get confirmation. I’m doing it.

I rush inside like a tornado, hurriedly grabbing gear. Camera, check. Tripod, check. Wireless shutter release, check. Remote, check. My wife looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “What are you doing?” she said.

“Shooting some lightning in front of the house” I said, “from the roof.” I added quietly, turning as I said it, maybe she wouldn’t hear me.

“The roof? Do you really think that’s a good idea?” she said, quickly adding “storms happen all the time…” she said, kind of singing the last couple words, as if to emphasize how loony she thought I was being.

“Big storm…good stuff…be back in a little while” I said, rushing out to the garage before she could protest.

I grabbed the ladder and headed off like a pack mule around the corner of the house. Moments later I was straddling the peak of my roof, looking over the neighborhood toward the storm in the distance. The worlds largest and happiest lightning rod.

As quickly as I was up there the storm was generating beautiful bolts every 30-45 seconds. It never ceases to amaze me how large and clumsy my fingers are at moments like this.

So I get set up and start shooting, it doesn’t take long to score.

Every dark cloud has an electric lining

I was biting my nails hoping this one would turn out…I think it did.

Nature's Balance, Dual Strikes Over the Gulf of Mexico

And one more:

Running Man in the Western Sky

I sat up there for almost an hour, time melting away with each click of my camera.  My neighbor came out to let his dog out.  I sat up there, quietly, just hoping he wouldn’t look up and see me on my roof in my pajamas.  I wasn’t quite sure what I would say.  I laughed at myself and just kept shooting.  Each time I was ready to pack it up another bolt would streak through the sky, prompting “just one more shot”.

Finally I decided to call it a night, packed up and went inside.  As soon as I uploaded the photos my wife had to acknowledge my idea wasn’t so bad after all.  In fact she wants me to enlarge and frame the second one above.  OK, so far so good

I posted the first shot to my flickr photostream [link] and immediately started getting views, great!  This morning I got up to find the following comment from my Mom on my photo:

“I sure don’t like you sitting on the roof, I don’t want you to be a lightning rod, all the great shots in the world are not worth getting hurt over, but that is perhaps a mothers point of view.”

So I guess I got the shots, but I still ended up busted by my mom. So yes, I was a human lightning rod I guess, but I came through it just fine.  I love you mom!

Palm and the angry sky (licensing available on Getty Images, click photo)

Hi, my name is Thomas, and I’m addicted to photographing lightning.

The beauty of natures fury is inescapable, but there’s more too.  Growing up in Wyoming gave me an appreciation of being immersed in nature.  Truth be known, if you venture a few miles out of town you didn’t have much choice, no one else was there to talk to.  Releasing yourself to the power of the natural world is an often exhilarating experience, and at times a dangerous one.

I’m fortunate enough to have the perfect stage to witness and capture Florida’s violent thunderstorms, almost on a nightly basis during the summer.  Living on a small lake just outside Tampa (the lightning strike capital of North America) [wiki link] allows me a great 180 degree view of the skyline as the storms roll in.

Standing on my deck, camera perched securely on my tripod, I watch the storms rage and strike again and again.  If I’m lucky enough (and yes, there is a tremendous amount of luck needed here) I’ll capture something special.  Lightning in a bottle.

The most important, and most dangerous part of capturing lightning is location. You need an unobstructed view of the sky in the direction of the storm.  This often puts you directly in harms way of a strike.  Lightning can strike miles away from the storm cloud [ref.], so use your best judgment before scampering out in the storm.

After you’ve scouted your location you need a camera capable of adjusting both the aperture, shutter speed and ISO (SLR works best), a tripod and an off camera shutter release.  Also helpful if you have it is a rain cover for your camera and rain gear for yourself in case you get caught in the rain.

Important: If you are using an “image stabilized” lens remember to turn the stabilizer OFF.  Small vibrations from the stabilizer will transfer to the sensor and make your shots blurry when your camera is mounted to a tripod.

Locate the area of the storm that’s most active with strikes and point your camera in that direction.  If you’re anything like me you’ll be swearing under your breath the whole time as beautiful bolts strike right in front of you before you’re all set up.

OK, you’re there, the lighting is still striking, you’re ready to capture the epic image you have in your mind.   The length of time between shots will guide you to your settings.  I’ve been successful using the following guideline: More frequent strikes, use a wider aperture (f4 to f8), a low ISO (200-320) and a shorter shutter speed (5-8 seconds).  Less frequent strikes requires a more closed aperture (f18 – f22), longer shutter speed (20-30 seconds) and a slightly higher ISO (320-500).  These are just guidelines, and have a lot of variables based on your location, time of day, ambient lighting, and even cloud speed.  Keeping the shutter open for a long time with fast moving clouds can “soften” your image.  This can be interesting, it’s all a matter of personal taste. 

Always shoot in RAW format if possible.  RAW images can be adjusted much more effectively without degradation of the image quality.  Over exposed images are pretty much a lost cause, but subtle lightning “tendrils” can be brought out by processing RAW images.

Electrified Stick Figure

Getting the lighting in the frame is less of a challenge than you would think, it just isn’t that difficult given you have the location, tools, and an open shutter.  Getting the shot without overexposing or “blowing out” the image takes practice and skill.  Small changes to aperture, exposure and ISO can have dramatic effects.  The other big factor is the white balance setting.  I used to use the pre-set temperatures on my camera (and available on most cameras).  I have found the “Tungsten” setting works very well in most cases.

Lightning, Reflected

The real trick to doing this successfully is patience.

I’ve compared shooting lightning to fishing when talking with people about it.  When the conditions are right you can catch a big one, but you have to be n the right place at the right time with the right tools.  When the “fish are biting” it’s very hard to stop “fishing”, even if the weather is coming in on you.  The second you decide to pack it up you will see a huge “fish” jump right in front of you, making you cast “just one more time”.  This “just last one more shot” can lead to 10-20 “last shots”, often forcing you to race inside ducking for cover as you run.

I’m fortunate enough to have my own special alarm to force me inside if I’m lost in the moment.  My wife simply won’t allow me to stay out too long.  I’ll stop short of calling it “nagging” (primarily to prevent having thunder and lightning inside the house), I’ll just say it’s a gentle reminder of her love for me and concern for my safety.  Whatever your method is, know  your limits and be careful.

Shooting is just half the fun.  Downloading your images to check what treasures you uncover is almost as exciting as taking the photos.  It’s exciting going through each shot, waiting for “the” image you’ve been looking for.  It’s a fun way to spend a stormy evening if you have the desire.  Be warned though, you may just get hooked in the process.

Lightning Over The Lake (my first lightning shot)