SOUTHWICK–Vinny Caruso was just doing what he always does when he’s traveling–taking pictures. And that has led to a chance at $15,000.
Photographer Vinny Caruso (r) shows a piece to Carol Saltus at the Rinnova Art Gallery during the recent Men & Metal art exhibit (photo by Marc St. Onge).
Caruso, who owns Vincent Caruso Photography in Southwick, submitted a photograph that he took to the “It’s Amazing Out There” photo contest from The Weather Channel. His photo, “Bolt of Fireworks,” is among the finalists competing for the $15,000 grand prize.
“I usually travel around with my camera because that’s what I do for my business, and we were visiting friends in Russell,” Caruso said. “Lo and behold a storm started in the distance and the storm struck when the shutter closed.
This is the image Vinny Caruso submitted to the Weather Channel contest. The image is from the July 2016 fireworks over Otis Reservoir with a lightning bolt piercing the sky in the background (photo by Vincent Caruso)
“It was a once in a lifetime shot and I was extremely lucky to get it.”
The picture was taken over the Otis Reservoir on July 16. It shows a burst of a single firework in front of a crackle of lightning bolts and a purple night sky. Clouds can be seen just barely shrouding the lightning, and the reflection of the scene shows on the rippled water below.
So far, Caruso said that he has been contacted from reporters as far as Hong Kong asking about the photograph. He said he was walking through Disneyland with his family when he kept getting phone calls from a foreign number.
“I never expected it to be someone halfway around the world,” Caruso joked.
The contest was open to amateur and professional photographers, and requested “the most spectacular photos of nature, adventure and weather.” His photograph is among more than 100 entrants competing, and the scenes range from lightning cascading the skies to sun peeking through various spots to animals wandering landscapes.
The winner will be chosen Sept. 16.
If you would like to vote for Caruso, go to his page to vote. If you would like to see all the photos, visit the Weather Channel website.
