True weather lovers will brave pelting hail, massive storms and chilly sunrises to get the ultimate photo.
For these hardy souls, being included in the Bureau of Meteorology's annual calendar of photos is the ultimate compliment.
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For Helen Day, who took the phenomenal lightning image above, it meant spending most of the night out waiting for something to happen.
"I sat in the dark for two hours on a very hot night waiting for this bolt," Day said.
"I could hear kangaroos hopping past in the dark but was wondering whether the odd snake may have been slithering past as well. It was hot enough for snakes to be active.
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"When the strike finally did come, it knocked me off my feet -- and then the rain came. I think it was all worth it."
These are the 'winners' of the 2017 calendar.
January
Chris Tangey, Alice Springs Film & Television
Hail in the Ilparpa Claypans, Northern Territory.
February
David Jaensch
Cumulonimbus over Port Lincoln, South Australia.
March
Lydia Jean Dobromilsky
Aurora australis viewed from Mawson Station, Antarctica.
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April
Pamela Pauline
Gust front approaching Mona Vale, New South Wales.
May
Mario Mirabile
Ice on the shore of Lake Guy, northeastern Victoria.
June
John Baxter
Gravity wave clouds east of Barrow Island, Western Australia.
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July
Rob Embury, Pale Blue Dot Photography
Lenticular clouds over Mt Lidgbird and Mt Gower, Lord Howe Island.
August
Flavia Jager Williams
Rainbow near Binda, New South Wales.
September
Kylie Gee, Indigo Storm Photography
Moon halo over Bencubbin, Western Australia.
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October
Seenivasan Kumaravel
Canberra in fog from Mount Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory.
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