Lightning Song

“Lightning splits the sky,
Shining blinding white,
And here I lie, almost asleep,
Reckoning in a place of peace.

And I feel I found my place
In time and space,
In hope and faith
And love I give.
My mind is clear,
I have no fear,
I shed no tears
For you, my dear.

This world is wonderful, so beautiful,
If only you could open up your mind and see.
Your world is everything you ever dreamed of,
If only you could open up your mind and see.

This world is wonderful, so beautiful,
If only you could open up your mind and see.
Your world is everything you ever dreamed of,
If only you could open up your mind and see
The beauty that is here,
The beauty that is here.”

[ Lightning Song – Anathema ]

This photo has been a pain to take. Seriously, this is the reason why I’ve been silent on the Weather Systems front for about a whole year.
Guess what, it’s the lightning’s fault. We don’t get many thunderstorms in Italy, and even when we do, we get more diffuse lightnings than actual thunderbolts. Besides, shooting lightnings is very difficult, so even when I finally got the thunderstorm, it took me nearly an hour to shoot a decent thunderbolt.
Once I had the weather half of the photo, I built the portrait in order to match it: the lightning was rather diagonal, so I flipped it horizontally (‘cause nothing’s perfect) and then built an opposite diagonal line with the lights and shadows in the portrait. It is an all in all simple image, but I hope it is powerful too. Just like the song, which sounds quite happy and sparkly but has a huge emotional depth. That’s why I have half a smile and am holding a cup of tea while contemplating the lightning: I wanted it to look as everyday as possible, enjoying some little pleasures (the cup of tea) while enjoying the sight of the storm from a safe shelter (the window). I really do love both the song and the photos, I hope you do as well.