INCREDIBLE MOMENT WHEN LIGHTNING STRUCK THE STATUE OF LIBERTY CAPTURED BY PHOTOGRAPHER

Dan Martland, a photographer, has always been inspired by the famous skyline of New York City. He enjoys stormy skies because they often result in interesting shots. When Martland captured a unique image of a lightning strike hitting Lady Liberty last week during a storm in the city, he was undoubtedly fortunate. Even though Martland has previously photographed lightning striking the Statue of Liberty, he was still taken aback when he managed to get the picture. He tells My Modern Met, "I wasn't really expecting to get anything yesterday." 

“I usually go for city shots, but the clouds were so low you couldn’t even see the buildings, so I decided to head to Liberty State Park and aim my cameras at the Statue of Liberty. A massive gamble focusing on something so small and precise. So, to get what I got was so lucky.”

Martland was able to capture both a tight and a wide shot of the lightning bolt striking the torch of the statue because of the dual camera setup. Amazingly, Martland uses a "lightning trigger" to make sure he snaps the shutter at the exact moment, so the entire shot depends entirely on timing. As with all storm photography, some amazing shots can be achieved with this exact mix of timing, patience, and precision.