Amanda Panitz, Country Summer Storm (August Theme: Weather)

Camping out in the middle of country Wantabadgery NSW, I was returning back to camp from a trip into Wagga Wagga. I was driving ahead of a storm, watching it begin to catch up to me in the 4x4 mirrors. I was hoping to beat it back to the campsite so that I could set up my camera in time to try to capture lightning; this is something I haven't tried to do in over a decade! Hovering under a small shelter, I set up the camera and the tripod, aimed into the pitch dark night and hoped for the best. I was so ecstatic to get this image because it didn't take long for me to have to seek safer shelter in the camper trailer moments after! There's something quite special about being stuck in a storm in the middle of an open field with nothing more than a canvas tent to shelter you from the weather to remind you just how powerful Mother nature can be!

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.