Categories: OMG

Photographer Perfectly Captures a Breathtaking Snap of a Microburst over Arizona

This looks very dangerous, but incredibly stunning.

A photographer named Jerry Ferguson was in a perfect moment and time as he impeccably captured a breathtaking snap of a microburst forming above Phoenix, Arizona. Might be too dangerous, but he spotted this natural phenomenon while in a duty.

Ferguson was currently shooting footages for a local television network while riding a news helicopter, when he noticed the formation of a gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud. The figure transpired as a microburst, a small downdraft that moves in a way opposite of a tornado and found only in strong thunderstorms.

Meteorology specialists explained that microburst is tremendously dangerous and often comes with strong winds that have the ability to hit down full-grown trees and wind shear, a difference in wind speed, that can cause air crashes.

We spotted this microburst as we were covering a dust storm near Phoenix and I instantly thought the same thing as everyone else, ‘it looks like an atom-bomb just detonated over Phoenix.’

This is the microburst that Ferguson compared to a detonated atom-bomb

Our Robinson R44 Newscopter is just a really tall, really expensive tripod.

Capturing a natural phenomenon is not an easy work. Hence, his unbelievable photograph is a product of teamwork between Ferguson and his pilot, Andrew Park.

That time, Ferguson handles taking pictures, communicating, and maneuvering the flying tripod. Park, on the other hand, is busy “wrestling a mechanical bull 800 feet above ground” amidst the strong winds the storm brings.

A clearer shot of the microburst

Source: Jerry Ferguson

The chopper vibrates a lot and I shoot handheld. I also often shoot in low light, so I use wide aperture, image stabilized lenses and set my camera on shutter priority with the highest shutter speed I can manage (usually around 1/400) to eliminate vibration blur.

Ferguson is using a Canon D5 Mark III and a combination of different lenses, like Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VR and a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II.

I shoot to the right, bracket, and rattle off a lot of exposures to make sure I have at least one keeper from each scene. I’ll also often shoot bracketed HDR panoramas because we shoot in such dynamic lighting situations.

(H/T: Petapixel)

Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

March 14th Holiday – Pi Day or Something Else?

Table of Contents: Introduction: The Significance of the March 14th Holiday The Mathematical Marvel: Unraveling…

November 1, 2023

Mystery Of Missing Pages

Who made them disappear? What was the reason? Where did they go? Why? Gather round,…

July 26, 2023

Bees Kill Penguins by Stinging Them in the Eyes

Swarm of bees stings the eyes of penguins in Cape town 60 penguins died from…

November 16, 2021

2000 Kilogram Sunfish Caught Off North African Coast

A massive ocean sunfish measuring 2,000 kilograms was caught on North African Coast It is named Mola alexandrini or…

November 16, 2021

Man Embezzles $57K in COVID-19 Relief to Buy Pokemon Cards

A businessman in Georgia utilized the Covid-19 relief to buy a limited edition Charizard Pokemon card He committed…

November 8, 2021

Florida Man Catches and “Recycles” Alligator in Driveway

Man captures an alligator in his neighbor's yard in FloridaHe uses a trash can to…

November 1, 2021

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience.