Thunderstorm and a Kugelblitz?
By Christoph Malin (see also his previous guest posts here)
On June 22nd, 2023, the heat was finally peaking after days of a heatwave around Innsbruck, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Bavaria, and South Tyrol, evening thunderstorms were predicted. and a high amount of dust limited visibility.
On my way back from filming fireflies at the Gschnitz Valley, the horizon towards the Karwendel Mountains was lightning illuminated nearly every second. I quickly found a location with a field of view towards the Karwendel Mountain Range.
I set up both the Nikon Z 8 and Z 9 for 8.3K 60p NRAW N-Log with the Z 50mm f/1.2 S and Z 35mm f/1.8 S plus Z 70-200mm f/2.8 as an option. The Lightshow was intense. From a distance of about 85 km, I could see the thunderstorm moving over Southern Bavaria, backlit and illuminating the Nordkette Mountain Range:
