This image of an approaching storm is very special for me, because it’s the last one I photographed on film and it was awarded and exhibited among the best images of the National Geographic Photo Contest – Hungary in 2007. In this post, I provide some details and information about how I made this landscape photograph.

I created this photo in eastern Hungary in May 2007.

I often saw this flowery meadow from my car while I was driving along it. Fortunately, once I arrived to this meadow, I experienced perfect landscape photography conditions. Dark storm-clouds were approaching above the trees, while the setting sun’s rays lighted the meadow.  I quickly jumped out of my car and ran into the meadow with my equipment. I envisioned a wide-angle shot that included a group of flowers in the foreground and the trees plus the dark clouds in the background. I also wanted to picture the wind of the storm, so I chose a relatively slow shutter speed to render the motion blur effect as the wind moved the flowers. I used a tripod to help me in the perfect composition and to keep the background sharp during the long exposure. I managed a couple of exposures before the storm arrived and completely showered me with rain. When I received the developed film from the lab, I knew it was worth it 🙂

Tech notes: Canon EOS 50E camera, Canon EF 17-40mm F/4 L lens, Fuji Velvia 50 film (rated at 40), Manfrotto 055NAT2 tripod, Manfrotto 168 ball head, 1/4 sec, f/22