Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur recalls capturing an opportune beachside scene during a lightning storm in Iran
I was on the beach in Iran and there was the most incredible electric storm going on. Forks of lightning were coming down over the water and the sky was so dark I remember checking the reading on my light meter several times because I couldn’t believe it was so low. Seeing a couple down by the water with their lime green hijab and T-shirt, I headed over to see if I could make a picture. They stopped to pose in front of the storm and I snapped a frame just, it seemed, as the lightning came down behind them.
Weeks later, back in London, I got my film back and started looking through. Had I caught it? No, it turned out, not a trace. But the picture itself had something else to it that I had maybe overlooked in looking for the lightning: without the backdrop the couple look at first glance as though they are dancing. In missing the storm the picture becomes more about the couple and it made me realise that what you think you’re looking for is not always the most important element.
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