crazy lightning tonight!

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08-25-2006, 03:29 AM
midget

crazy lightning tonight!

Crazy lightning storm tonight! I was just about to go to sleep then i saw lightning flashes about ever 30 seconds or less! I've been meaning to shoot some lightning photos but hadn't gotten around to it till now....just got back in. Wish I could have gotten some better ones but I was scrambling to get my shit together and take a few shots before the rain came pouring in....

http://www.yoshimedia.com/waw/200608...tning_7316.jpg

http://www.yoshimedia.com/waw/200608...tning_7328.jpg

http://www.yoshimedia.com/waw/200608...tning_7341.jpg
08-25-2006, 03:44 AM
ak_powder_monkey

SWEET especially the first one
08-25-2006, 05:15 AM
BushwackerinPA

Damn thats Bad ass, awesome shots.
08-25-2006, 06:15 AM
Rontele

yeah those pictures really suck :rolleyes: ;)
08-25-2006, 06:28 AM
Mrs Roo

I also like the first one. Well done. That was a fleeting opportunity.
08-25-2006, 07:14 AM
ski_adk

Great shots. Good lightning photos are tough to capture. You did a great job here! :yourock:
08-25-2006, 07:21 AM
bklyn

Quote:

Originally Posted by midget

http://www.yoshimedia.com/waw/200608...tning_7316.jpg

Three great pics from one storm.
I really like this one, with the city lights.
08-25-2006, 07:40 AM
smmokan

Second pic = $$$$
08-25-2006, 07:49 AM
Baconzoo

Lighten up Dude, those are sickter
08-25-2006, 07:58 AM
RootSkier

FUCKING SWEET. :yourock:
08-25-2006, 07:59 AM
itsjust123

Great shots Midget :yourock:
08-25-2006, 08:07 AM
Sutter

Absolutely amazing, I love the different colors of each lightning web
08-25-2006, 09:52 AM
13

Sweet shots, dude!

Too bad you didn't have something to cover the lens and body while the rain came in ... sometimes with rainfall and lightning you get some REALLY funky and cool effects from light being refracted through the raindrops.
08-25-2006, 10:16 AM
truth

Nice shots midget. Lightning is a bitch of a subject. There's a ton of luck involved even if you have the technical parts dialed in.
08-25-2006, 10:18 AM
The Reverend Floater

Tits ahoy, Midge. Nice work!
08-25-2006, 10:31 AM
powstash

your horizon is off in the first picture beyotch. :fm:

me likes the second one.
08-25-2006, 10:34 AM
upallnight

aweseome! whenever we have a storm, i always think how lucky i would be to get a shot....but it never works out -- cool that you got 3 nice shots!!
08-25-2006, 10:36 AM
Skid Lux

Those are rad.
08-25-2006, 11:33 AM
SnowToad

Great pics!!!
08-25-2006, 11:35 AM
StormRider

Great shots, Midget!
Care to give some tricks and tips on how to shoot lightening?
08-25-2006, 11:40 AM
InspectorGadget

I like all three photos. Don't listen to powstash, his office chair is tilted off-center.

Too bad my dog is so terrified by the thunder. The fact that he had a really tough day at the vet didn't help matters last night.
08-25-2006, 11:43 AM
Tippster

Quote:

Originally Posted by truth

Nice shots midget. Lightning is a bitch of a subject. There's a ton of luck involved even if you have the technical parts dialed in.

It's actually not that bad - Expose for the scene and then use this: http://www.lightningtrigger.com/

Nice thing about lighning is it's relatively slow. It may seem like a flash but it's much longer than a strobe, so you can even get good shots on full "Auto." Set up a tripod, mout the trigger (there are others too - this is just the first I found on google) and crack a beer.
08-25-2006, 11:43 AM
Tap

what are the techincal considerations for taking lightening shots with a digital camera?

how long exposure?
plus or minus anything on the exposure?
tripod - of course

anything else?
08-25-2006, 01:04 PM
midget

Long exposure, set it around f5.6-f11, and wait to get lucky!
Most were done (since I didn't have time to find my cable release) with a 30 sec exposure (max my camera lets me do), and at f16 on my first one (although i was a bit off, and was a little dark), but i was up on a bit of a hill and the lightning was pretty close (so everything was a bit brighter than the last 2....those were further away)...

Oh, and tripod for sure.
08-25-2006, 01:20 PM
grizzle6

Nice pics Eric. Wary, wary nice.
08-25-2006, 01:51 PM
Jer

Cool shot & thanks for the tips. I dozed through the storm myself, glad someone caught it for later enjoyment. ;)
08-25-2006, 03:44 PM
CS

Sweet pics man. I've been telling myself all summer I need to get out and get some lightning shots, but it seems everytime a good cell comes through I'm either without my camera or otherwise occupied. Same thing happened the other night when the lightning was going off. Good stuff mang. Not easy to capture such vivid strikes.
08-25-2006, 04:05 PM
truth

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tap

what are the techincal considerations for taking lightening shots with a digital camera?

how long exposure?
plus or minus anything on the exposure?
tripod - of course

anything else?

I tend to use 2 second exposures (due to the vast amount of ambient light here in the city) and lock the "cable" release so it just keeps firing. I adjust the ISO and aperture depending on results. Daytime strikes are far trickier than nightime.

http://truth.smugmug.com/photos/85640870-L.jpg

EXIF
08-25-2006, 04:38 PM
midget

Quote:

Originally Posted by truth

I tend to use 2 second exposures (due to the vast amount of ambient light here in the city) and lock the "cable" release so it just keeps firing. I adjust the ISO and aperture depending on results. Daytime strikes are far trickier than nightime.
EXIF

Yes, and not a bad way to go about it. Just let it keep firing....
08-25-2006, 04:48 PM
truth

Quote:

Originally Posted by midget

Yes, and not a bad way to go about it. Just let it keep firing....

It's impossible to time it. I just let it run until I get a few strike then check the images and make adjustments. With the long exposures the buffer szie never comes into play so you can really let it fire off until the memory card is full. I can't even imagine the cost of trying to shoot lightning with film.
08-25-2006, 05:12 PM
backpack

Took these a couple of weeks ago from my deck...

I'd never gotten any lightning either, but a couple of weeks ago when a storm was rolling in I put the camera on a tripod and did a bunch of 25-30 second exposures to see what happened. It worked out ok, I guess.

http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/backpa...2006%20001.jpg

http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/backpa...2006%20003.jpg

http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/backpa...2006%20007.jpg
08-25-2006, 05:14 PM
truth

Nice shots BP. I love how you cna see the strikes way off in the distance. I wish I had that type of view to work with here.
08-25-2006, 05:38 PM
midget

ha, you shit looks way better than mine.
08-25-2006, 07:23 PM
uglymoney

Great shots. Like the mountain, city, lightning combo. The fingers death.
08-25-2006, 08:31 PM
Bawheed

Quote:

Originally Posted by truth

....I can't even imagine the cost of trying to shoot lightning with film.

Nah, it's no more expensive than shooting anything else on film. All you need is a cable release and decent reflexes. No need to fill up a card in the vain hope of capturing "something". Just hit the cable release when the lightning strikes, and leave the shutter open for 30 seconds or so. Easy :rolleyes:
08-25-2006, 09:38 PM
Xover

very, very nice ES!!!
heard all that in a deep slumber, bear fart wake up .... way to get outta the warm comforter to snap those ... pure dedication; pure :yourock:
08-26-2006, 09:02 AM
P_McPoser

Nice shots all!
Midg: Every 30 seconds? Weak! :)
I pretty much miss only the Thunderstorms from my 10 years in the desert SW.
Tucson gets such intense, beautiful storms.
http://www.menzelphoto.com/images/ga...nv_lig_01-.jpg
http://www.menzelphoto.com

Tucson Lighning Shot Checklist:
1. City Lights CHECK
2. Lightning CHECK
3. Foreground Saguaro Cactus CHECK
4. Mountains? DOH!

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