Night Flashes

It was one of those situations where, from our house--with all the tree, house and other obstructions--it appeared that lightning was flashing from a clear night sky.  It wasn't. These images captured a distant severe storm cell low on the northern horizon with clouds illuminated by the continuous flicker of lightning. The cell was located about 65 miles away--near the town of Monona, Iowa in northern Clayton County. The camera here was located just west of the grounds at Christ Community United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa. In the background of each shot is East Robins Road. The top image was a 15 second exposure at f/5, 1600 ISO and 18mm focal length and shot around 9:40 PM; the bottom image is a 30-second exposure at f/4.5, 320 ISO and 18mm focal length, and shot around 9:50 PM. Note the stars surrounding the isolated spectacle.