lightning bolt

nikos

We just had a helluva thunderstorm so I decided to try and test my luck capturing a lightning bolt. This was my first time and I guess luck was on my side as a nearby bolt shook the foundations of my house and after my shutter released, I was happy to see that camera captured the beast.

STLMach1

Great shot!!! I've always wanted to know how to shoot lightning and have thus far not taken the time to investigate it. Any secrets to share?

Thanks for posting the electrifying shot,
Michael

ChrisJ

Very Striking.

Zoom Raider

That is awesome.

I've taken pictures of night-lightning, but everyone of them came out blank.
So this is just not my area of expertise. I have no expertise in any kind'a photography anyway.
I guess you also have to know when the lightning's gonna strike.

martin-images

Very good capture, only thing is its a bit bland in the forground so hope yu dont mind i did a tweak on it please dont sue me i aint got no money:cry

Martin

nikos

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

STLMach1 wrote:

Great shot!!! I've always wanted to know how to shoot lightning and have thus far not taken the time to investigate it. Any secrets to share?

Thanks for posting the electrifying shot,
Michael

At first, it was a cat & mouse game trying to get the lightning. My wife was laughing that everytime I set up the camera at a certain spot, there would be some awesome lightning shows to the far left. Then I would turn the camera to face the left area, and the lightning just shifted to the original spot

What I did was find another window that has a decent view (I wish I had better window views) and set-up my tripod to get the best composition that I can. This way, if you catch a nice lightning strike, at least you would also have a decent composition to go with it.

As for catching the lightning, I set the camera to Aperture priority mode at around f15-22 and set the shutter speed to 5 - 8 seconds. I just sat there, and kept clicking away until I got a decent shot. I missed a couple of nice lighting strikes as they occurred in between shutter presses

Here are a couple more

nikos

martin-images wrote:

Very good capture, only thing is its a bit bland in the forground so hope yu dont mind i did a tweak on it please dont sue me i aint got no money:cry

Martin

Hi Martin,

I don't mind you messing with the image. I originally lightened up the houses but it gave the picture an artificial look so I kept the capture true to its original form.

The lightning bolt was very intense and my picture became backlit. I don't think fill flash would have worked as well

Cheers,
Nikos

martin-images

Never the less nikos a wonderful capture

Martin
www.digital-monochrome.com

photon

Iso?
Nice shots, nikos... I wouldn't mind trying that myself.

What ISO were you using?

nikos

photon wrote:

Nice shots, nikos... I wouldn't mind trying that myself.

What ISO were you using?

Thanks!

I was shooting iso 100

liquidsquid

Not that I am an expert at lightning shooting, but here is some important things to remember:

• Use low ISO, unless storm is far away.
• Use medium to small aperture: >5.6, this will prevent purple fringe and blowouts if you manage a very close strike.
• Pre-set focus to the most distant obect, preferrably one bit closer than infinity.
• Flash WB (Lightning is quite blue) However if shooting RAW, who cares?
• RAW is MUCH preferrable, though I am preaching to the choir.
• Use bulb mode.
• Time the lighthing, it usually comes at a regular rate.
• Use wide-angle and crop later unless storm is far away.
• Live where you get thunderstorms. I happen to live in a thunderstorm hole. They go around us or fizzle before they arrive. VERY annoying.
• Drink a few beers before-hand, otherwise the frustration will really get to you. The best bolts are usually during your "dark subtraction" wait time, or partly out of the frame.
• Most of all, stay safe, unplug the computer, don't get hit!

Atrucker

I've never tried for one. May I be half this good when I do.

photon

Nice advice!

liquidsquid wrote:

Not that I am an expert at lightning shooting, but here is some important things to remember:

• Use low ISO, unless storm is far away.
• Use medium to small aperture: >5.6, this will prevent purple fringe and blowouts if you manage a very close strike.
• Pre-set focus to the most distant obect, preferrably one bit closer than infinity.
• Flash WB (Lightning is quite blue) However if shooting RAW, who cares?
• RAW is MUCH preferrable, though I am preaching to the choir.
• Use bulb mode.
• Time the lighthing, it usually comes at a regular rate.
• Use wide-angle and crop later unless storm is far away.
• Live where you get thunderstorms. I happen to live in a thunderstorm hole. They go around us or fizzle before they arrive. VERY annoying.
• Drink a few beers before-hand, otherwise the frustration will really get to you. The best bolts are usually during your "dark subtraction" wait time, or partly out of the frame.
• Most of all, stay safe, unplug the computer, don't get hit!

... I'm definitely going to save this thread.

Of course, what it really means is that when there is a storm, I'll spend much less time calming down the (small) kids, and instead reaching for the camera and tripod. Their misery is only temporary, right?

Forehead

This'll come in handy next trip to Arizona (likely during the Monsoon season).

Now about those "few beers": it really DOES matter what kind of beer, you know! The heavier, quality European (or micro) brews will fill your bladder more slowly than those wimpy light beers. That's pretty important as, if the URGE suddenly siezes you, you could end up knocking over your tripod in that desparate mad dash for the nearest tree--and blow that once-in-a- lifetime shot!

liquidsquid wrote:

Not that I am an expert at lightning shooting, but here is some important things to remember:

• Use low ISO, unless storm is far away.
• Use medium to small aperture: >5.6, this will prevent purple fringe and blowouts if you manage a very close strike.
• Pre-set focus to the most distant obect, preferrably one bit closer than infinity.
• Flash WB (Lightning is quite blue) However if shooting RAW, who cares?
• RAW is MUCH preferrable, though I am preaching to the choir.
• Use bulb mode.
• Time the lighthing, it usually comes at a regular rate.
• Use wide-angle and crop later unless storm is far away.
• Live where you get thunderstorms. I happen to live in a thunderstorm hole. They go around us or fizzle before they arrive. VERY annoying.
• Drink a few beers before-hand, otherwise the frustration will really get to you. The best bolts are usually during your "dark subtraction" wait time, or partly out of the frame.
• Most of all, stay safe, unplug the computer, don't get hit!

rahmonster

Nice work Nikos

Look out, because now you will be hooked. There are a few people I know (myself included) who have done it once "just to see if they could" and ended up looking at the radar every afternoon and checking the lightning tracker with feet itching to get out and photograph it. It's addictive.

There are some great lightning shooters on dgrin to give you advice.

Now you reminded me how much I wish it was storm season here again...

Izak

Still some darn good tries for a first timer!!
Well done!

ian408

Yeowza! Nice big bolt too