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Arizona is the Lightning Photography Capital of the U.S

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Flashes of Brilliance

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Abstract

Pictures of lightning in Arizona are widely known as among the best anywhere in the U.S. and perhaps the world. The combination of large mountains on the horizon in the background, frequent colorful sunsets, large saguaro cactus, and high cloud bases that allow views of tall lightning channels make for an attractive unique view. For these reasons, more aesthetic lightning photos are likely taken in Arizona than anywhere in the U.S. Examples from current Arizona photographers are shown in this chapter, along with methods and tips of how to photograph lightning. Special attention is given to the first known Arizona lightning photo from the early 1910s taken at the Grand Canyon.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Holle Meteorology and Photography, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Ronald L. Holle

  2. Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center/Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Daile Zhang

Authors
  1. Ronald L. Holle
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  2. Daile Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ronald L. Holle .

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Holle, R.L., Zhang, D. (2023). Arizona is the Lightning Photography Capital of the U.S. In: Flashes of Brilliance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19879-3_3

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