After seven years of relentless pursuit, storm chaser Serge Zaka has finally captured the perfect photograph he had been seeking - a stunning image of lightning strikes hitting the peaks of Pic Saint-Loup and Hortus near Montpellier, France. The breathtaking shot, taken during a dangerous nighttime thunderstorm, represents the culmination of years of patient waiting and strategic positioning.
Zaka deliberately chose to live at the foot of Pic Saint-Loup specifically because the location is known for its frequent thunderstorms, making it an ideal spot for photographing lightning against the dramatic landscape. "I chose to live at the foot of Pic Saint-Loup because it's a very stormy place to photograph lightning with the landscape," Zaka explained. For years, he would position himself on a nearby hill, enduring what he describes as "seven years of failures" before finally achieving his goal.
The magical moment occurred on the night of Sunday, August 31 to Monday, September 1, at precisely 2:05 AM. Zaka described seeing "an enormous white flash" just as his camera triggered for exactly 133 seconds of exposure time. Initially, he didn't fully realize what he had captured because he was in the middle of recording a podcast with journalists from France Inter when the lightning struck.
"I was with journalists from France Inter for a podcast, I was talking into the microphone when it happened. I quickly looked but had to stay very focused because we were on an exposed site. It's extremely dangerous. When you have to run, it's really down to the second," Zaka recalled. The photographer emphasized the perilous nature of his work, noting that "lightning was falling so close to us" that there was no time to celebrate the achievement.
The conditions during the shoot were particularly challenging and dangerous. Hidden in the darkness under heavy rain and plunged into complete obscurity, Zaka and his companions found themselves without any artificial lighting as "the main storm had cut the electricity in the valley." The small group had to carefully make their way to their vehicle through the treacherous conditions before Zaka could even examine what his camera had captured.
It was only when they reached the safety of their car that Zaka discovered he had finally achieved his photographic holy grail. "I was very happy. And we even have the sound recording," he said, referring to the audio from the podcast that was being recorded during the lightning strike. The combination of the visual spectacle and the audio documentation made the moment even more special.
Despite achieving this long-sought goal, Zaka has no intention of stopping his storm-chasing adventures. He has already set himself several new challenges that he expects will occupy him for years to come. "Now I'm going to move to the next level, maybe for the next ten years," he laughed, outlining his ambitious future plans.
The photographer's next objectives include capturing a direct lightning strike on the summit of Pic Saint-Loup itself, as well as photographing "the structure of the storm under the stars." These new goals represent an even greater technical and safety challenge, requiring precise timing, ideal weather conditions, and careful positioning to achieve the perfect shot while maintaining personal safety.
Zaka's dedication to storm photography exemplifies the patience and persistence required in specialized nature photography. His seven-year quest demonstrates that sometimes the most spectacular images require not just technical skill and proper equipment, but also the willingness to wait for the perfect convergence of natural phenomena and photographic opportunity.
