Lightning Sunset

Wow, some pretty dramatic conditions here Chikku. I may be tempted to clone out the headlights in the distance, otherwise I'm really liking this

Fabulous work! The sky, particularly with the lightning, really makes this stand out, and the solitary saguaro works very well in the scene.

There are a couple of things that nonetheless seem worth addressing from my standpoint. The headlights, as Jared mentioned, are one. Also the distant bright area on the horizon in the middle of the frame seems a bit unusual to me . . . I'm not sure what to make of it, though it's a rather minor issue and if it's merely a bright band of clouds, it's probably not worth bothering with. Lastly, in the larger version I see either chromatic aberration or something else around the edges of the Saguaro. I don't know if that is present in the original but if so, it may be worth tackling before you print.

In the context of an otherwise very fine shot, those are relatively minor issues. Altogether this is inspiring work.

Nice you got lightning!!

Nice storm image Chikku. I think Jared and Phil already mentioned the headlights. I also see some haloing on the horizon but that may be due to sharpening which is no big deal IMO. Amazing sky and color. It sure is a difficult task to catch lightning with a balanced exposure of the surrounding landscape. Think ya did good here. Might bring up the shadows a tad but that is a personal preference.

Beautiful sky here and the lightning is a great catch. I like the composition.

Amazing sky, and is that the moon behind the clouds? The cactus looks like a global warming victim.

Cool shot, Chikku! It appears as though the lightning is eminating from the cactus. Other than those headlights I wouldn't change a thing.

Ed

It was a great sunset last night with lots of lightning and you captured both perfectly.

Definitely dramatic. That lightning across the top is pretty awesome. Well seen Chikku.

Thanks for the comments everyone. Here is a repost without the headlights.

The halo/bright area in the middle horizon is actually city lights. I was not too far from civilization.
Tony: Yes thats the moon behind the clouds in the top right. Its just showed up at the right moment.

A very dramatic and awesome scene. i love this a lot.

This has great drama, you did a great job controlling and processing the light here! I might consider a crop just to the right of the large mountain in the bg - you lose the moon, but it focuses the image where most of the drama is happening...just a thought.

Exciting image! I agree with cloning out the headlights. Great capture of the lightning in just the right place IMHO. Thanks for sharing.