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29 June 2023, southern France. Open countryside, dark clouds and lightning on the horizon.
On 29 June 2023, I'm out near Valras-Plage in southern France. A broad layer of cloud hangs over the water. Trees and shrubs line the bank, with a clear view of the sky beyond. Further away, the clouds are already much darker.
A clear view of the storm
A path runs beside the water. The flat countryside gives me a good view of the storm. It's still lighter overhead, while the dark clouds gather in the distance.
I take a few photos of the surroundings. The water, shrubs and trees are as much a part of this evening for me as the lightning that comes later.
Along the path
From the narrow path, I keep watching the storm. A fence runs alongside it, with low shrubs to the right. There's little to block the view, so I can follow the dark clouds easily.
It slowly gets darker. There's still a little warm light near the horizon. I keep looking that way and waiting for the next flash.
Then the lightning starts
Then a branching flash lights up the horizon. The clouds around it glow for a moment. This is what I've been waiting for.
Another flash stretches across the sky. Someone in a bright jacket stands by the path, with the storm lighting up the flat countryside behind them.
For me, the wait was worth it. Those dark clouds, the open view and the brief flashes are what I remember most about that evening near Valras-Plage.