How a photographer got this incredible shot of uptown Charlotte

How a photographer got this incredible shot of uptown Charlotte CHARLOTTE, N. He mostly takes commercial and industrial shots—a factory here, some real estate there. A shot like this is what photographers dream about: That one moment where the light, the setting and the subject are perfectly aligned. The sun was low on the horizon behind them. "It brings out the detail that isn't there normally," he said, explaining how the touches created a photo that more resemble what you'd see in person with your eyes. "But I think it makes for a very appealing shot. Sometimes photographers use a technique called high dynamic range imaging, which takes a composite of several shots to create a picture that's more colorful and vivid. "Actually, it's that image you just saw," he said. You put it in an eight-foot print and put some light on it, and you're just in awe. The sun angle and dark sky were already too perfect. They got a clear angle of the storm. At one point, they snapped a photo of Austin wiping off the lens. Austin got it. All of it. The storm itself is actually northeast of uptown Charlotte. In this case, they're radiating out of the rainbow. Austin and his girlfriend, Eve Lane, never got any lightning shots. The sky ahead was dark. Austin's been taking pictures since high school. His work has picked up in the last five. And yes, it's real. "We were actually out just looking for lightning shots," says Austin, 43. The storm lasted 20 minutes. He's been steadily freelancing for the last 20 years. There are crepuscular rays, diving-looking beams of light that usually radiate outward when the sun is behind a cloud. How a photographer got this incredible shot of uptown Charlotte Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 27/03/2012