One Photo, One Story. When the Storm Turned Seceda into a Battlefield in the Dolomites.
- julien delaval
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
The Dolomites are a land where the mountain rules. That day, we had chosen Seceda to capture a classic sunset: golden light on the sharp ridges, deep shadows sculpting the relief. A perfect setting for landscape photography.
But Seceda had other plans.
Waiting under a Deceptive Sky in Seceda
The climb had gone well. Nothing alarming. Just a few clouds were gathering in the distance, adding a touch of drama to the sky.
But in a matter of minutes, everything changed.
At first, an eerie silence. The birds stopped singing. Then the wind shifted abruptly, freezing the air around us. Instinct told me that this quiet was only a foretaste of something much greater.
And suddenly, chaos.
When Lightning Strikes Seceda
The rain didn't come in scattered drops. It came down in one go. A wall of water that engulfed us as we were taking pictures.
Then lightning struck.
A white flash, violent. Instant thunder, so powerful that I felt the ground vibrate beneath my feet.
At that moment, photography no longer mattered. It was no longer about capturing a moment, but about surviving.
Pinned to the Ground, Trapped
We were on an exposed ridge. Without any shelter.
The only option? Lie down in the wet grass, hoping the mountain will forget us.
The smell of burning hung in the air and each flash of lightning lit up the valley as if it were broad daylight.
Thunder boomed around us, as if the mountain itself were screaming.
I had never felt such strength. Nature was no longer simply beautiful. It was terrifying.
.
The Photo of Seceda I Didn't Come Looking For
When the storm passed, everything had changed.
A curtain of rain hid the horizon, the mountains seemed unreal, drowned in a dense fog. The black sky crushed the peaks, and each drop sparkled under the last lightning.
With shaking hands, I grabbed my device.
This wasn't the picture I came to take. This was the picture the mountain offered me.
This is how The Darkest Day was born, a photograph of Seceda as I had never imagined it.
A Lesson Etched in the Skin
Never underestimate the mountain. We always think we have time… until we don’t.
Photography is also about knowing how to put the camera down. Sometimes, survival is the only priority.
The unexpected gives the most striking images. That day I was looking for a perfect sunset from Seceda. I found the atmosphere of an end of the world.
The Darkest Day – A Storm Etched in an Image
This photo, taken in Seceda, is not just a snapshot. It is a raw memory. A moment when the mountain reclaimed its rights.
Check out this and other photos of Seceda in my Dolomites photo gallery .
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