In this amazing night-time scene, we are treated to a lightning show at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. The photograph was taken by Rolf Maeder of photographysedona.com, who drove two hours to the canyon to try to get some sunset shots. As Maeder explains:

“Sometimes an opportunity comes very unexpected. Last week, my friends Scott Stulberg, Holly Kehrt (both wonderful photographers) and I were driving from Sedona to the Grand Canyon to get some sunset shots. After a short time being there we noticed that we couldn’t get what we wanted because of the very hazy light. So we decided to return to Sedona, just shortly checking out some more viewpoints. On the Moran Point we noticed that far away a lightning storm was building up. That was even more than we expected, so we started setting up our tripods and started to take pictures! This shot was taken 9pm with a Nikon D800, 24mm at f/8, ISO 400 and a 25 sec. exposure. – The long exposure made it possible to catch two lightning bolts with one shot! The foreground was light-painted with a flashlight by Scott.”

 

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters). Nearly two billion years of the Earth’s geological history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock.

Moran Point (elevation: 7160 ft / 2182 m) is a popular spot on the South Rim for gazing into the canyon. It is situated near the main park visitor center east of the Grand Canyon Village. According to Sarah Gerke of Arizona State University, the point was likely named after Peter Moran, brother to famous American landscape artist Thomas Moran. It was Peter who traveled to the South Rim in 1881 with explorer and army captain John Bourke. His brother Thomas did not visit until 1892.

If you’d like to order an HD print of this shot you can contact Rolf through his website. You can also sign up for a free monthly wallpaper on his Blog.