Transient, an Ode to Lightning

Outdoor photographer and filmmaker Dustin Farrell traveled over 20,000 miles this summer to capture footage for this stunning ode to lightning. Using a Phantom Flex camera with an ability to capture over 1,000 frames per second in 4K, he was able to film lightning bolts as they shattered from the sky. The resulting video, paired with dramatic music is a bit of a revelation, with each bolt viewable in high precision and detail.

The $100,000+ camera is only half the story, however, as is clear in Farrell’s video, which is beautifully composed, framed, and edited. Much of the footage is from Farrel’s native Arizona. Via Colossal:

“Lightning is like a snowflake. Every bolt is different,” shares Farrell. “I learned that lightning varies greatly in speed. There are some incredible looking bolts that I captured that didn’t make the cut because even at 1000fps they only lasted for one frame during playback. I also captured some lightning that appear computer generated it lasted so long on the screen.”