Chasing Storms and Stars Nature Photography
I turn fleeting moments of natural drama into high-resolution composite images through patience, long exposure, and a bit of monsoon magic.
A panoramic view of the lightning storm over the Mumbai skyline, taken from our balcony. This wide shot shows the immense scale of the storm as multiple bolts strike across the city and hills.
A closer crop of the storm, focusing on the intricate patterns of lightning striking between the city's high-rise buildings. Each bolt tells a different story.
This shot captures the storm as it moved over the hills. I used a long exposure to capture these distinct, powerful bolts of lightning as they lit up the night.
Another perspective of the urban thunderstorm, showing the contrast between the dark silhouettes of the buildings and the bright, chaotic energy of the lightning.
A detailed, almost abstract, image of the lightning. By stacking nearly a hundred photos, I can reveal the complex web of electricity that fills the sky during a major storm.
Capturing these star trails over the forests of Chopta meant spending a night in the freezing cold, but it was completely worth it. This is a long exposure photograph, a composite of many shots, that shows the Earth's rotation against the backdrop of the night sky.
About Chasing Storms & Stars
For these lightning shots, I stack over 90 separate photographs in Photoshop to build the final image. This is a manual blending process that turns a fleeting flash into a sharp, detailed piece of art suitable for large format printing.
I focus on techniques like image stacking and long exposure because nature does not reveal its full power in a single shutter click. When shooting lightning over the Mumbai skyline, I record 90 or more frames to ensure every bolt is captured and blended perfectly. This process takes hours of editing to reveal the complex webs of electricity hidden within the storm.
Similarly, my star trail work in places like Chopta requires long nights in freezing conditions to track the rotation of the Earth against the sky. These shots demand physical endurance as much as camera skills, often involving hours of waiting in the dark to get the right composition.
Because these shoots depend on clear weather or specific storm activity, I always stay flexible with my schedule. If you are looking for a master composite image for your wall or a documentary-style capture of a natural event, please contact me to discuss the current weather windows and your technical requirements.
Sunny Nair
I am Sunny. Whether I am waiting out a monsoon storm on my balcony or freezing in the mountains for star trails, my camera is always part of the adventure. If you want images that capture the raw energy of the wild rather than a posed look, I am your guy.
Are you looking for a different photography style?
Browse other categories to find the right photographer for your needs.
More from Travel & Landscape Photography by Sunny Nair