2008_0998 Prairie Lightning
Continuing the theme of prairie weather... and a shot from last summer, made with my old (1981), manual focus, non-chipped 24mm lens - therefore no lens data in the EXIF info.
After three black and white images, I'm back to colour; this one had to be in colour. That red line of sunset afterglow just above the horizon added an exquisite touch. And this was a "dry storm": that is, it wasn't raining on me, so keeping my lens dry wasn't a problem. And it wasn't directly over me, either, so I could safely shoot it without having to run for safety or dive like a gopher into a hole in the ground.
Photographing lightning after dark is relatively easy: camera on tripod, cable or remote shutter release, focus on infinity, f/8 or f/11 depending on how close the lightning is hitting (which affects the brightness of the flashes), shutter on "B", hold open and wait for lightning to strike. Single strike or multiple strikes? Your choice. Stacking frames to include multiple strikes is an option in processing. Holding the shutter open for more than about a minute often leads to an amorphous glow on the clouds, so if I don't have a strike by then I generally move on to the next frame.
Safety notes: This is dangerous business. Stay away from fences and trees. Lightning can travel great distances along a barbed wire fence. And your tripod makes an excellent lightning rod. I shot this from my car but am under no illusion of safety; contrary to popular belief the rubber tires do not offer any protection. The car's metal frame does, but if you are in the car touching any metal parts, you can get zapped. Beware of any storm that's coming toward you, and never shoot a storm that is too close. This storm was at least 10 km away, moving left to right across my field of view, so relatively safe.
Photographed in the Frenchman River Valley north of Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Exposure data: 24mm lens, 29 seconds at f/8, IS0 200. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2008_0998 Prairie Lightning
Continuing the theme of prairie weather... and a shot from last summer, made with my old (1981), manual focus, non-chipped 24mm lens - therefore no lens data in the EXIF info.
After three black and white images, I'm back to colour; this one had to be in colour. That red line of sunset afterglow just above the horizon added an exquisite touch. And this was a "dry storm": that is, it wasn't raining on me, so keeping my lens dry wasn't a problem. And it wasn't directly over me, either, so I could safely shoot it without having to run for safety or dive like a gopher into a hole in the ground.
Photographing lightning after dark is relatively easy: camera on tripod, cable or remote shutter release, focus on infinity, f/8 or f/11 depending on how close the lightning is hitting (which affects the brightness of the flashes), shutter on "B", hold open and wait for lightning to strike. Single strike or multiple strikes? Your choice. Stacking frames to include multiple strikes is an option in processing. Holding the shutter open for more than about a minute often leads to an amorphous glow on the clouds, so if I don't have a strike by then I generally move on to the next frame.
Safety notes: This is dangerous business. Stay away from fences and trees. Lightning can travel great distances along a barbed wire fence. And your tripod makes an excellent lightning rod. I shot this from my car but am under no illusion of safety; contrary to popular belief the rubber tires do not offer any protection. The car's metal frame does, but if you are in the car touching any metal parts, you can get zapped. Beware of any storm that's coming toward you, and never shoot a storm that is too close. This storm was at least 10 km away, moving left to right across my field of view, so relatively safe.
Photographed in the Frenchman River Valley north of Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Exposure data: 24mm lens, 29 seconds at f/8, IS0 200. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.