The lightning is in north Scottsdale beyond Fountain Hills. Monsoon season in Arizona generally brings many opportunities to catch fun lightning storms as background for an awesome desert environment. I think I hiked a couple of miles from Usery Pass rd before I found a group of Saguaro that would work for the shot I had in mind. Cactus and desert were lit by light-painting with a flashlight during numerous long exposures - then compositing the best exposures together to create the final image.
This little pond made for some great reflections of the scene above.
Summers in Arizona are epic as thunderstorms roll in everynight to cover the state with clouds, rain, lightning and amazing photo ops.
