Cloudburst over the Isle of Harris from Neist Point, Isle of Skye, Scotland

I’m huddling on the cliff tops on the western tip of the Isle of Skye, wind-battered, sodden, and despondent, waiting for the light. Will these clouds ever part? Looks like another fruitless vigil. A faint lightening of the sky far out to sea over the Isle of Harris rouses me from my musings. There’s yet another downpour rolling in off the Atlantic, I’ll get another soaking, but behind it the sun is threatening to break through. I’m scrabbling in my bag to get the filter on my 70–200, fumbling with the adaptor ring with cold fingers, glancing over my shoulder at the ever more dramatic sky. For just seconds a heavenly shaft of sparkling northern light backlights the rain. I expose, do a few brackets, and it has gone; a scene never to be repeated.

• Nikon F5, 70–200mm lens