Here’s the story behind that lightning-filled photo of the ‘Go Sox’ Prudential Tower
"I shot 617 fast exposures and captured bolts in six of them."
The 2018 World Series has so far been picturesque both on and off the field. Through two Red Sox wins in Boston, fans have been treated to iconic photos like Andrew Benintendi’s leaping catch and multiple rainbows appearing over Fenway Park.
Yet before Game 1, one serendipitously captured moment stood out. It happened during a pregame thunderstorm as lightning danced above the Boston skyline.
Local photographer Matthew MacPherson had a hunch.
“I was walking home after shooting the sunset on the Common, and as I approached Kenmore Square, I saw the lightning coming,” MacPherson explained. “I was aware of that great vista over I-90 on Charlesgate Street, so I ran there as fast as I could to see what I could do.”
The only issue for MacPherson was he was unprepared for the ensuing downpour.
“I was still in work clothes with no umbrella or anything, and got absolutely soaked over the course of the 30 minutes I was there,” he said. And he had no guarantee of getting photos of what he wanted.
“There’s no easy way to capture lightning other than blind luck; I shot 617 fast exposures and captured bolts in six of them. For the photo I shared, it is a stack of two of those six exposures to maximize bolts in the sky.”
“One exposure also happened to catch the train,” he added. “That was pure luck.”
The result was an extraordinary image of Boston.
“I have been doing photography in a serious capacity for about three years, but before that I was always taking phone shots while hiking,” MacPherson, a financial analyst, said. “It is an all-consuming hobby that and has changed my life 100 percent for the better.”
Having lived in Boston for 16 years, MacPherson said that he has become addicted to the local sports scene.
“I am now a huge Red Sox fan, and almost never miss a game,” he said. “I admit when I first moved here I was indifferent to professional sports, but it’s impossible to live here for long and not eventually fall under the spell of our amazing teams.”
