Yosemite Lightning Strike
Photo By Nolan Nitschke

32 Comments

1. Mack Frost makes this comment

   Friday, 15 May 2009

   What a great & different view of an often photographed vista. It must have been exciting, not to mention dangerous, to wait for this image to appear. F/8 and BE There!

2. Michael Anderson makes this comment

   Monday, 18 May 2009

   A once in a lifetime image and you nailed it. Fantastic!!!

3. Kate Benson makes this comment

   Tuesday, 19 May 2009

   I lived in Yosemite National Park for many years - it is the reason I finally picked up a camera to nature photography years later. I have seen many images of the park, but never this exact one. Very nice.

4. Gregory Andriese makes this comment

   Wednesday, 20 May 2009

   Awesome opportunity and picture

5. John Wiker makes this comment

   Friday, 22 May 2009

   Very Cool! WOW!

6. Bradley Bluhm makes this comment

   Monday, 25 May 2009

   Difficult and dangerous to shoot in lightning situations.

7. Larry Mills makes this comment

   Monday, 25 May 2009

   I was at Yosemite about 2-3 years ago and I loved the view of the valley from this location. This picture has a lot of the sites that I loved about this location. The added lightning really makes this a great shot.

8. Chris Bradley makes this comment

   Monday, 25 May 2009

   Amazing and mesmorizing, saying "nice shot" would be an understatement

9. Matt Angiono makes this comment

   Wednesday, 10 June 2009

   This is Awesome! I don't know if you'd agree, but I think it could benefit slightly by cropping out some of the top and right side, to really emphasize the lightning and waterfall. Just a thought...you still get my vote!

10. David Webb makes this comment

    Thursday, 11 June 2009

    Intense shot - I just kept coming back to look at it over and over - great work

11. Jeff Kaschube makes this comment

    Friday, 12 June 2009

    Stunning!! Thank you.

12. Jeff Kaschube makes this comment

    Friday, 12 June 2009

    Fantastic! Thank you.

13. chris whitney makes this comment

    Friday, 12 June 2009

    Outstanding image. Superb light and weather make this stand out.

14. Mary Gerlach makes this comment

    Friday, 12 June 2009

    Awesome

15. john kaleo makes this comment

    Saturday, 13 June 2009

    Dose anyone think its wierd how he got a rainbow in a side lit photo physics requires that the area be front lit to achieve a rainbow. Also lightning captured produces its own light and in a daytime lightning strike is always causes a cast around it as it mixes with the light from the sun. This lightning eminates from nowhere and dose not even light the cloud from where it came. Photoshop once again makes the impossible possible. I am a seasoned pro of 20 years and have watched photoshop discredit the industry and this is why.

16. Nolan Nitschke makes this comment

    Sunday, 14 June 2009

    Janda2000- The lightning and the rainbow in this photo was captured in the camera. Neither of these were added after in photoshop and are present in the original file. I was with a group of family and friends when this photograph was taken, all of whom were watching this same exact scene and the lightning striking and saw this photo directly after I took it from my camera lcd and can attest to the authenticity of it. I have over a hundred photos with the rainbow in it, many show the rainbow much bigger than it is here, so I cant give a scientific explanation to why it is there, but I can assure that it, as well as the lightning bolt, were there during the original capture. NO, I am not trying to discredit the industry, I am just trying to share a photograph that I am truelly proud of. Thank you to all of you who have taken time to comment and view my photograph.

17. Mike Hill makes this comment

    Sunday, 14 June 2009

    D-O-E-S anyone think Janda2000 is a jerk? Miracles occur in nature and they don't always have to be explained by science! Fantastic photo!

18. Benjamin Charles makes this comment

    Monday, 15 June 2009

    I have known Nolan personally for several years now. I have an original print before post-process. Nothing was "added" to the photo, what you see here was in the original. It is certainly an anomaly. I know photoshop was used to an extent. There was some layered exposure adjustments and perhaps some burning and dodging. Also it would appear there was some saturation adjustments, particularly in the yellow range. All of this was done to bring variable light in order to extend the emphasis on particular areas that may not have been as visable or saturated as shot. I use Lightroom and never break an image into layers or deviate from the original more than cropping, tone curves, and minor saturation adjustments. Hell, Nolan will probably even be angry with me for telling as much as I have. If I was a photography quaker, he would be something like a modern christian, he would not simply add something that didn't exist, but probably do what he could to emphasize a particular area in a shot.

19. Mike Hill makes this comment

    Tuesday, 16 June 2009

    Im sure that the judges of this competition have or will do their research to ensure that this photo has not been photo shopped. In the mean time . . . I think that it is incredibly rude of you to try to discredit someone elses work when you dont know the facts. You act like a martyr of the photo industry. I can't fugure out if your doing this out of jealousy or simply because you have nothing better to do in your life. Do us all a favor and let the judges handle the cometition!

20. Benjamin Charles makes this comment

    Monday, 22 June 2009

    MikeDog34 - I do know the facts first of all. Second off I never made anyone out to be a martyr. I only stepped up in my friends defense, explained a few of our differences for a base comparison to show my honesty in the matter. I don't give myself 10 lashings a day for the strict fundamentalism of photography I go through, I simply take from the lense photos, and speak the truth about my good friend, or should I say brothers talents with a camera and with a computer. Simply put I just know the facts and don't care to hide them. So having said that, just remember this is not a blog, and lets take other peoples opinions into account.

21. Mike Hill makes this comment

    Monday, 22 June 2009

    Mediaalchymia, my comment was not directed at you! I wrote it in regards to a previous comment made by Janda2000. Somehow the comment was removed from this page. Janda's comment was directed at Mr. Nitchke, and I was standing up for him. Sorry you thought my comment was for you.

22. Janice Myers makes this comment

    Monday, 22 June 2009

    Other worldly...I love it! Great job capturing this event.

23. Tarik YURTGEZER makes this comment

    Tuesday, 23 June 2009

    Very succesfully.

24. Nick Selway makes this comment

    Thursday, 25 June 2009

    Do you have a photography website?

25. mikela lovell makes this comment

    Friday, 26 June 2009

    Props to my boy Nolan Nitschke for editing the photo below that is in the 'World Wonders Contest.' Thanks again brother. http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/world-wonders/gallery/contest/world-wonders/12553-eastern-sierra-petroglyphs.html

26. scott hile makes this comment

    Monday, 27 July 2009

    Although this is a gorgeous image, it IS a photoshop composition. I was in Yosemite park this spring and have many, many shots of half dome. 1st the falls in the image on the right have been brought forward and are not orientated where they really are. 2nd the two peaks that you see just below the lightning are not at that location. 3rd the falls that are in the center at the bottom of the image are not their either, I cant really tell, but that fall appears to be Nevada falls, and there are NO falls in that location. Come on Nolan, come clean. You have a very nice image here, but it IS a photoshop collage. And for anyone who doubts me, it's real simple to do google earth and see for youself.

27. scott hile makes this comment

    Monday, 27 July 2009

    My apologizes to Nolan after reviewing my photos of Yosemite I now realize this is the opposite side of half dome, and everything is in place. The 2 falls are Vernal falls, and Nevada falls. Again my sincere apologies to you Nolan. Awesome shot!

28. ELEANOR CAPUTO makes this comment

    Friday, 31 July 2009

    I have to say that the rainbow has to be real. Rainbows are always much darker above with a wonderful light below. You cannot fake that. It is definitely processed but I live near Yosemite and have been to this spot and I can tell you that everything is where it should be. It does look HDR'd but these are digital times and even Ansel Adams was known for replacing skies and doing extensive darkroom work. He was even said to have added moons and such when there weren't any. Not that anything was added here. This is not the place to dispute a fellow photographers work. Leave that up to the judges. He can submit the original exif file to prove his point. This is a phenomenal capture and all I can say is I wish it were MINE!! Excellent post processing and a magnificent stroke of luck. Best of luck to you!!

29. Treas Manning makes this comment

    Saturday, 15 August 2009

    This is an amazing capture of the power of nature and the luck of timing was with you, but for me it is over saturated. I would love to see it knocked back a bit.

30. ELEANOR CAPUTO makes this comment

    Sunday, 06 September 2009

    A big congratulations to you for your peoples choice win. This is an amazing photo.

31. Debra Trean makes this comment

    Wednesday, 09 September 2009

    outstanding image !!!!

32. gary sandison makes this comment

    Thursday, 10 September 2009

    great image I don't know the place but it sure looks good.