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Reid Woodward

@lightningchazer

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Fine Art Lens-Based Photographic Artist. Chaser of Lightning since 1990.

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Yesterday I went out looking for lightning. Instead, I found a cow, Weaver’s Needle and an udderly beautiful sunset. 🐄🌅

#ArizonaHighways #WeaversNeedle #SuperstitionMountains #ArizonaSunset #ArizonaPhotography by @lightningchazer

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21 days ago

Save the date! 🌩️

In just two weeks, the 2026 Monsoon Show opens at Brill Gallery & Studio!

Come experience the Arizona monsoon through the photos and videos of some of Arizona’s best storm chasers and photographers. I’m excited to have two of my images included in this year’s show alongside the work of so many talented artists.

Opening Weekend
Friday & Saturday, September 18 & 19
6–10 PM

It’s going to be a couple of wild nights of storms, photography, art and community. Hope to see you there! ⚡️🌵

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP through the link in @brillgalleryandstudio bio! ⚡️ by @lightningchazer

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a month ago

Last night turned into another great night chasing Arizona’s monsoon near Four Peaks. Around 10pm the storms really came alive, producing bolt after bolt across the mountains and surrounding desert.

Some were enormous branching strikes that seemed to fill the entire sky, while others dropped behind the ridgelines with the light trails along the Beeline adding a little something extra to the scene.

I ended up with quite a few images from the night, so here are some of my favorites.

#ArizonaMonsoon #azwx #LightningPhotography #StormChasing #monsoon2026 by @lightningchazer

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a month ago

Thursday night was the opening reception for the new art exhibition at Portland on the Park in downtown Phoenix. I was honored to have my photograph “Scripps Sunset” selected for the show and to be included alongside so many talented Arizona artists.

I don’t often post photos of myself, but it was nice to step out from behind the camera for once and get a photo with my work. And if you look closely at the exhibiting artists photo, my niece and I both managed to make an appearance in the reflection.

Scripps Sunset was photographed beneath Scripps Pier in La Jolla, California, during one of those sunsets when everything came together: the clouds, color, surf and setting sun.

Thank you to Portland on the Park and Artlink for supporting local artists and giving us the opportunity to share our work.

#Landscapephotographer #ScrippsPier @PortlandonthePark @Artlink_Phoenix #dtphxart by @lightningchazer

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a month ago

Lunar Eclipse, August 27, 2026

I have photographed many lunar eclipses over the years. Most have meant heading out in the middle of the night or very early in the morning, often in very cold temperatures in the winter.

Last night’s eclipse arrived at a much friendlier hour, but with the temperature still at 109 degrees, I decided to photograph it from my backyard rather than venture out in search of a composed foreground.

Even without a landscape, a lunar eclipse is a remarkable event to witness and photograph. The precise alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon allows Earth’s shadow to pass across the lunar surface, transforming the familiar full Moon into shades of copper, orange and deep red.

At maximum eclipse, 96.3% of the Moon was immersed in Earth’s darkest shadow, leaving only the brilliant sliver visible at the top.

I hope you enjoy this photograph.

#LunarEclipse2026 #Astrophotography #MoonPhotography #NightPhotography #Moon by @lightningchazer

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a month ago

A wild round of storms rolled through Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Paradise Valley around midnight last night.

I caught these two shots just before everything changed. Moments later the wind and rain hit hard, and bolts started dropping on the other side of me, getting a little too close for comfort. That was my cue to pack up and get out as the storm moved in with heavy rain, wind, and a barrage of lightning.

#ArizonaMonsoon #ArizonaLightning #StormPhotography #LightningPhotography #DesertStorm by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago

Yesterday I followed this storm from east to west as it moved over the mountains. The first bolts started dropping around 6, eventually bringing enough rain that I had to move west to stay ahead of it.

I kept following as the storm continued, and by 7:30 the whole scene had changed. The setting sun broke beneath the clouds, lighting up the rain and horizon in orange while lightning continued flashing across the sky.

For nearly two hours I got to watch the same storm transform from an afternoon thunderstorm into a lightning-filled sunset.

#ArizonaMonsoon #ArizonaLightning #StormPhotography #DesertStorm #LightningPhotography by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago

One of my goals has been to capture a rainbow and lightning together in front of Four Peaks, and yesterday afternoon looked like it might finally happen.

I headed out in 113° heat and waited for the storms to approach, making frequent retreats back to the car and the AC. Even one of my cameras was struggling with the heat and threatening to shut down, so I eventually balanced a wide-brimmed hat over it to keep the direct sun off.

The storm I thought would move over Four Peaks never quite came together, but another began building to the east of the Superstitions. I gave up on my original composition, turned the cameras toward the new storm, and soon a rain shaft began to glow with the first hints of a rainbow.

As the rainbow grew brighter, lightning started dropping through the storm. For a few minutes I had exactly the combination of light and weather I’d been hoping for, just not quite where I originally imagined it.

The rainbow eventually faded, but the evening wasn’t finished. The sky erupted in color as the sun went down. This chase ended with one of those Arizona sunsets that makes it hard to pack up the cameras.

Images shot with @canonusa R5 and R52

#ArizonaMonsoon #ArizonaLightning #StormPhotography #DesertStorm #LightningPhotography by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago

Last night’s chase started with a storm over Four Peaks catching the last light of the day. A few bolts began dropping around the peaks as the sun went down, but the real show came after dark.

As the storm moved farther away, lightning kept striking beyond the ridgeline while traffic winding through the Beeline Highway left trails of light. For a while it was a constant barrage of big branchy bolts with the road leading straight toward the storm.

#ArizonaMonsoon #ArizonaLightning #StormPhotography #DesertStorm #LightningPhotography by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago

One of the reasons I never get tired of chasing Arizona’s monsoon storms is that every storm has its own personality.

Yesterday I watched this storm slowly come together throughout the afternoon. Just after sunset it produced this incredible branching bolt beneath the sculpted base. Even though the storm had already put on a great show, I was convinced there was more to come. So I hurried to the other side of the hill for a different angle, but that was it the storm was done. Sometimes the last frame ends up being the one.

Shot on a @canonusa R52 with a Canon RF 24-70mm

#Azwx #monsoon2026 #Arizona #lightning by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago

Tuesday’s storm chase was a reminder of why I love chasing Arizona’s monsoon storms. You never know what you’re going to get.

It started with an incredibly vibrant rainbow forming over Four Peaks. The crepuscular rays shining through the bow made it even more spectacular. Over the next hour it evolved into a full rainbow and eventually a double rainbow. At one point, the base of the rainbow appeared to touch down right on Weaver’s Needle, a composition I’d been hoping to photograph for years.

From there I headed farther up the road toward Four Peaks and watched a massive storm move south into Rio Verde as the sun began to set. The storm was producing frequent intracloud lightning, and I was able to capture several flashes illuminating the incredible structure overhead.

As darkness fell, another storm drifted down from the Payson area, so I set up along Highway 87 hoping to combine the winding road with the approaching lightning. I experimented with light painting a saguaro and managed one frame with a distant cloud-to-ground bolt, though I think I’ll try a subtler touch next time. Before calling it a night, I was rewarded with a few more cloud-to-ground strikes and several long crawlers before the storms weakened and continued toward Phoenix.

Shot with @canonusa R5 and R52.

#ArizonaMonsoon
#StormChasing
#FourPeaks
#RainbowPhotography
#LightningPhotography by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago

I drove up to Mt. Ord early because the setup looked promising. For the next hour I watched this storm slowly organize and drift closer, wondering if it was ever going to produce much visible lightning. As it drew closer it started dropping a couple of bolts.

Once the outflow arrived, it got serious in a hurry. The wind went from calm to howling, the rain turned horizontal, and it was time to head down the mountain. The storm continued west through Phoenix, producing extremely strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning along the way.

The first image captures a cloud-to-ground strike disappearing into the rain shaft with a visible strike point in the rain. The second shows a spider bolt stretching across the base of the storm. The third is a quick behind the scenes.

Sometimes the best storms aren’t the ones with constant visible lightning. They’re the ones that make you earn every frame.

Shot on a @canonusa R5.

#arizonamonsoon #stormchasing #monsoonmagic #azwx #monsoon2026 by @lightningchazer

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2 months ago