Rare lightning storm over Vancouver Island captured by photographers
Rare lightning storm over Vancouver Island captured by photographers
Two northern Vancouver Island photographers proved Monday night that with the right equipment and a lot of patience, they could capture some stunning images of a passing lightning storm.
Anthony Bucci is a professional photographer who captures nature, landscape and wildlife images for a living, along with conducting guided wildlife tours. On Monday night, he spent 8 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. on the hunt for perfect lightning photos.
Lightning bolts over Vancouver Island on June 27, 2022. (Anthony Bucci)
Bucci says he was notified of the approaching storm using the lightning tracker app on his phone.
“An electrical storm up here is kind of rare, I guess you could say. I was doing a whale-watching tour yesterday and I was monitoring it on a lightning tracking app,” Bucci says.
He has the app set to a 300-kilometre radius around the north end of the island and says the storm Monday night came down from the Cape Scott area towards Port Hardy.
“It kind of started off with fork [lightning] and then it was about an hour of just sheet and then it was three hours of fork lightning non-stop and then the fog rolled in,” Bucci says.
But during that time he was able to grab an estimated 600 photos and 40 videos, operating two cameras with 30-second exposures with two different focal-length lenses.
“I had a 70-200mm on one for more of an up-close personal photo and then I had a 50mm on my other camera for more of a wider view and then I had the two cameras tethered together with triggers and then I just had a remote button in my hand,” he says.
Bucci says there are motion detector gadgets that can be purchased that will automatically trigger cameras after picking up the lightning bolt but he prefers to do long exposures instead.
He wasn’t the only photographer out lightning-bolt hunting Monday night though.
Brian Texmo says he was just about to head to bed when his wife saw some flashing in the distance so knew the lightning was coming towards him.
“Last night you could sort of feel it in the air, you get that really humid, hot, wet feeling, out on my deck and I thought OK it’s going to happen here,” Texmo says.
Lightning bolts over Vancouver Island on June 27, 2022. (Brian Texmo)
Texmo considers himself more of a hobby photographer with a passion for landscapes.
He went three to four kilometres away from his house towards the Bear Cove area to capture 15-second exposures.
“What happens when lightning strikes in your frame, you’re taking a long exposure, it will actually burn itself in your camera sensor so while you’re taking the picture for 15 seconds, every single lightning bolt or any event that happens in that frame will be burned into that image," he says. "You can get multiple lightning bolts over 15 seconds."
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is testifying before the House of Commons transport committee this afternoon about ongoing airport delays and flight cancellations.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person to be tapped to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.
A 81-year-old Danish woman traveling from Africa to Canada was arrested at Warsaw airport on suspicion of illegal possession of heroin worth over US$515,000, officials in Poland said Friday.
A prominent Quebec cardinal is denying sexual assault allegations against him contained in a class-action lawsuit that was formally filed this week in Quebec Superior Court.
Nunavut's acting minister of community and government services says the territory has declared a state of emergency in Iqaluit to ensure the city can begin replenishing its water reservoir without delay.
As students across Canada gear up to enter what will be their fourth academic year in the pandemic, CTVNews.ca takes a look at what measures will be in place in schools, by province and territory.
As of today, individuals and businesses are no longer able to import restricted handguns into Canada, with limited exceptions. The move announced earlier this month is aimed at expediting a key pillar of the federal effort to cap the number of handguns in the country.
'All of these organizations have a proven track record supporting people in the community to improve their mental health and their pursuit of recovery.'
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
The Calgary Police Service has reopened a section of the Bow River pathway as well as a lane of eastbound Memorial Drive in the northeast following a Thursday night stabbing.
A southwest Calgary grocery store is expected to remain closed on Friday as crews continue assessing the damage caused by a large truck that crashed into it the day before.
An Indigenous fashion designer from Tsuu'tina First Nation will showcase some of her collection in New York City at an event for emerging and diverse talent.
A prominent Quebec cardinal is denying sexual assault allegations against him contained in a class-action lawsuit that was formally filed this week in Quebec Superior Court.
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS) confirmed that the Inuk woman struck on Highway 520 in Montreal has died of her injuries.
Nova Scotia's proposed climate plan to avoid the federal carbon tax is "shocking" in its lack of substance, a Halifax environmental advocacy group said Friday.v
A coroner’s inquest jury made almost 20 recommendations for ways New Brunswick and its law enforcement can do better in police interventions, training and equipment. CTV News polled each to see if they are considering, or have already implemented any of them.
Sunshine and hotter temperatures return this weekend, with the low pressure system that brought us mid-week rain moving north of the Maritime region and high pressure building in from our south.
Two Winnipeggers are facing drug related charges after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) seized 30 kilograms of what is suspected to be cocaine at the port of entry in Windsor, Ont. earlier in the month.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
The Region of Waterloo council approved a series of measures on Thursday to help ease the growing homelessness crisis, including a first-ever decision to permit an encampment.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) and the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) were called out to a two-vehicle collision involving a hazardous, nuclear material Friday morning in Confederation.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
Lightning bolts over Vancouver Island on June 27, 2022. (Anthony Bucci)
Lightning bolts over Vancouver Island on June 27, 2022. (Brian Texmo)
