01
Gold Award · 2022
Purple Rain
A violet storm splits the sky over Indian Shores, frozen the instant the lightning lands.
Camelback Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona Send this card →
The Lookbook · Since 2013
Weather You Can Hold. Dreams You Can Hang.
Thirteen years of chasing light along the Gulf Coast and beyond: lightning over dark water, skies on fire, and coastlines reimagined. Each one is now a card.
2013The first lightning strike
254Photographs, each a card
6 yearsSmithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, 2021–2026
494,637+Online gallery views
The Award Winners
Seven photographs that won over juries and galleries. Every one of them fits in an envelope.
02
Best in Show · 2023
Madeira Magic
The top prize in Digital & Photography at My Best Work of 2023.
Camelback Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona Send this card →
03
Juror’s Choice Award · 2022
Sunset Serenade
The juror’s own pick from a national field of photographers.
Academy Center of the Arts, Lynchburg, Virginia Send this card →
04
Masterful Mind Award · 2024
Chromatic Bloom
Singled out for its remarkable aesthetic among artists across every fine art category.
Circle Foundation for the Arts, 6th International CFA Artist of the Year Send this card →
05
Smithsonian · 2026
Orb of Twilight
Chosen for the 2026 Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest.
Smithsonian Magazine Send this card →
06
Silver Award · 2025
Cosmic Horizon
A Gulf sunset held inside a lensball, then reimagined as a watercolor dream.
Digital Art category Send this card →
07
Elite Special Feature · 2022
Darla’s Dance
Twin bolts strike the Gulf on either side of one storm, captured July 6, 2015, at Redington Beach.
Showcased on the homepage of the aRt dIsTrict Send this card →Four Ways to Catch the Light
Chapter Three
Behind the Lens
When a storm rolls in over the barrier islands, Christy works it from every angle at once: drones overhead, cameras on the sand, action rigs at the waterline and a telescope for the moon.
- DJI Neo & DJI Mini drones
- Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II
- Samsung Galaxy S21 & S24 Ultra
- Osmo Action 5 Pro
- Celestron Newtonian reflector
As seen on
On Air & On Screen
Her lightning and storm timelapses have aired on prime-time weather broadcasts across Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida.
- Paul DellegattoFox 13
- Denis Phillips & Greg DeeABC Action News
- Matt DevittWINK News
- Loupe ArtStreaming on connected TV
On Gallery Walls
- 2026Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, including “Orb of Twilight” · Top 100 Photographs Worldwide, Region of Crete (Heraklion, Limassol, Prague, Athens) · The Art of Social Media, seventh straight year
- 2025Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest · Masterful Mind Award, Circle Foundation for the Arts, “Chromatic Bloom” · Bronze Award, My Best Work of 2025 · Silver Award, Shades of Blue · Silver Award, Digital Art, “Cosmic Horizon”
- 2024Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest · Artist of the Month, July 2024, Camelback Gallery · Two Finalist Awards in Photography, Best in Medium 2024 · Finalist, Shades of Red · Finalist, Artist Invitational VIII
- 2023Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest · Best in Show, Digital & Photography, “Madeira Magic” · Featured Artist, Camelback Gallery · Finalist, Shades of Blue · Abstract Art exhibition, Las Laguna Art Gallery
- 2022Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest · Gold Award, “Purple Rain,” Camelback Gallery · Juror’s Choice Award, “Sunset Serenade,” Academy Center of the Arts, Lynchburg, Virginia · Elite Special Feature, “Darla’s Dance,” the aRt dIsTrict · Featured artist on Loupe Art
- 2021Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, the first of six straight years
- 2020First year exhibiting as an individual artist in The Art of Social Media
- 2013The first lightning strike, and the beginning of it all
Also honored: Bronze Awards at Camelback Gallery Artist Invitational VII and XII · Finalist at Artist Invitational IX and Artist Choice X.
Recognized by the Photo Community
- GuruShotsTop photographs in “Your Magazine Shot,” a Dodho Magazine challenge with more than 100,000 entries · Featured among the winning images of the “Striking Sunsets” challenge, published by Digital Camera World
- EarthSkyFeatured again and again in EarthSky Community Photos: lightning at sunset over Indian Shores (2022), best ocean photos (2023), best twilight photos (2023), and the summer solstice sunset features
- ViewBug · 500px · Fine Art America · Shoot the FrameCommunity awards and contest honors across all four platforms
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