About the Image(s)

Canon 50D ??“ Tamron 18-270 @270mm (432mm equivalent)

ISO1600 ??“ f22 ??“ 1/400th sec Tv

I've lived and photographed in Florida, the mountains of Colorado, and now Tucson??”places where thunderstorms can seemingly materialize out of nowhere. But I've never witnessed a storm develop as rapidly as the one brewing in this photograph.


We were on safari in Kenya on a gorgeous blue-sky afternoon when our guide suddenly stopped the Land Cruiser, glanced toward the horizon, and said, "We need to hurry." He climbed out and immediately began reinstalling the canvas sides of our open safari vehicle.


Following his gaze, I saw an enormous thunderhead exploding upward. At that moment, a magnificent male impala casually walked onto the ridgeline. While our guide hurried to secure the vehicle, I grabbed my camera. Almost as if on cue, the impala stopped, lifted his head, and struck the perfect pose. Seconds later, the storm hit. We couldn't see more than thirty feet in front of us the rain was so heavy and I was certain what I thought were at least 60 mph winds would rip the canvas from our vehicle. One moment we were enjoying a beautiful African afternoon; the next we were in the middle of a raging thunderstorm.

Sometimes memorable photographs require being at the right place at the right time…and with a bit of luck thrown in for good measure. I had all three :-)