BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's a neat picture, which captures what appears to be a magnificent natural moment above the skies of Western New York.
It was taken by Anne Daigler during a turbulent bout of weather which passed through the area on Tuesday, and sent to 2 On Your Side using the "Near Me" function on our WGRZ app.
It captures a lightning bolt surrounded by a ground to sky halo, creating an almost “stairway to heaven” type effect.
“I had zero intention of getting a lightning shot,” explained Daigler, who said she was just taking a picture of some ominous looking clouds, as she waited to get some food outside a restaurant near the corner of Washington and Delaware avenues in Kenmore.
“It was a completely lucky shot,” she said.
It was also fortunate that Daigler was using the “live photo” feature on her iPhone, which records what happens 1.5 seconds before and after you take a picture which is saved as a three second MOV video file.
Daigler’s picture captured more than a bolt of lightning, though. The effect surrounding it prompted some to speculate it had been photoshopped.
However, a meteorologist and lightning expert explained that camera artifacts can occur by rapid changes in lighting, such as from lightning.
“Artifacts are unique things that happen to a photograph or to data because of something external happening to it,” said Chris Chris Vagasky of Vaisala, a company that manufactures weather instruments.
During a zoom interview from his office in Boulder, Colorado, he explained further that lightning flashes more brilliantly than the sun.
“So, it’s extremely bright for an extremely short period of time, which can create all sorts of glare and different types of looks,” he said.
Vagasky also sounded a cautionary note to those seeking to take pictures of lightning.
“It’s important to understand that anytime there are thunderstorms in an area, and anytime you can hear thunder or see lightning, it’s best to be inside a substantial building such as a home or a store,” Vagasky said.
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