Lightning

[isaiahsdad]

I have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures being a pro photographer, and out of all the subjects, I like shooting lightning the best. Just took these a few minutes ago. Wasn't planned, just grabbed the camera and tripod and started shooting. Hope you like them.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3431/3767140521_fb53406292.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3590/3767939648_5a578d7a12.jpg

[chainsaw]

You and Dan Lund need to get together.

[rooster1]

Very Nice http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[isaiahsdad]

My favorite one taken a few years ago. I call it "The Demon In The Sky" If you look close, you can see his arms and hands in the lightning, his face and cape flowing in the clouds. Just the right place, at the right time.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2628/3767190567_0130918cc7_b.jpg

[ells]

You and Dan Lund need to get together.

Yeah, and take pics of each other going over a cliff in a lightening storm.



Nice pics BTW I'dad.

[Todd]

Very nice...I have always wanted to get some cool lightning pics...just never have caught it right

[ringadingh]

Those are some great shots!

[bobhamlin]

I came in here thinking it was a thread about blue Nomads!

The first photo of the flag is so incredible that it's almost surreal. I'd think of selling that one. Every side of the political spectrum could put a caption on it!

Great shots.

[ringadingh]

Driving home from the concert last night, there was a lot of lightning lighting up the sky, it was in the distance, but there was lots of huge flashes. Sonebody's neighbourhood was really getting hammered. I heard this morning that Quebec had four tornados touchdown there.

[dantama]

How do you photograph lightning? I've wanted to a time or two, but have no idea how to do it.

What is your technique?

Cool pictures

[landman]

awesome !!!

[paulo]

Fantastic-----and new desk top background material.

[macmac]

Might be me, might be my system, but I see 2 heads in the demon lighting... The smaller left hand is just before the other skulls forehead as I see it. The first one is obvious..

very cool....

[dantama]

Might be me, might be my system, but I see 2 heads in the demon lighting... The smaller left hand is just before the other skulls forehead as I see it. The first one is obvious..

very cool....

Looking at it under the influence of mind altering substances is no fair Macmac http://s2.images.proboards.com/cheesy.gif

[macmac]

Now Dan you know I don't do that stuff, but I did once, and maybe once too many times too, but now i do it in rightouse pain, which is better for being creative, but it hurts just the same.

Welcomed a new busted rib I just re-busted last Spring.

I think its habit forming, so don't try it..

I still say thar's 2 heads in that most excellent shot, and that yer just PO'ed you didn't get it first...

hey I know!!!!!! Why don't you go jump the Grande Canyon in a rip snorter T storm and get one while jumpin the bike ! No one can beat that untill some time in the next millinia!

And Dan, if some shumk tells you to go jump in a lake, you can, but not with the bike ok?

[dhomoney]

My favorite one taken a few years ago. I call it "The Demon In The Sky" If you look close, you can see his arms and hands in the lightning, his face and cape flowing in the clouds. Just the right place, at the right time.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2628/3767190567_0130918cc7_b.jpg

I just stole this for my desktop background. :)

[barrynfla]

Great pics! But lightning still scares the crap out of me when I'm riding........and we get a LOT of it around the Tampa Bay area. There's lightning hitting around here as I'm typing.

[isaiahsdad]

I have to set the f stop at f5, so the foreground is not so bright, and the speed at about 3 seconds to catch the lightning. It is not easy. The hit miss ratio is great in Oklahoma because we have such great lightning storms with a vast number of hits. If you are good, about one out of six in a good storm and about one out of twenty will actually be good well lit large strikes. I have shot quite a few thousand shots of lightning with maybe fifty worth keeping in my collection. The ones I posted I took with a D80, Nikkor 28-70 2.8 Lens, set at wide angle, f5.0 400ISO at 3 seconds. Not a high dollar rig so I am not so worried about a bit of rain getting on it. I have a 70-300 f4.5 but I only use that when the storms are very far away and then you increase your ratio to about 100 to 1. Take your time, watch your surroundings and stay ahead of the storm. Once the storm hits you, it is too late. You usually have about a 15 to 30 minute window if you are lucky. My next favorite subject and just as equally difficult is hummers. Lighting, timing, focus, zoom, settings, all have to be perfect. This is my favorite one I took about 7 years ago. I have a few hundred pics of hummers as well. The harder it is to shoot, the more I like it. And with digital, all it costs is electricity to keep the batteries charged (after the cost of the camera). Good luck and most of all, have fun.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3769892565_0432d09d61_o.jpg


__________________

[dantama]

Ok, I can see it is very difficult and takes more expertise than I have. Either one happens in that 3 seconds or it doesn't huh?

Even though I've always loved pictures of city skylines with lightning, and I've a got a great place with a view of the Denver skyline, I think it's beyond me.

Thanks for the explanation though, it makes me appreciate your shot all the more. Nice bird shot too. My wife will love it.

[dhomoney]

You and Dan Lund need to get together.

Yeah but can you imagine how ugly their children would be? I shudder at the thought......

[dantama]

You and Dan Lund need to get together.

Yeah but can you imagine how ugly their children would be? I shudder at the thought......

That was good :)

I didn't even see it coming when I read the post.

[dhomoney]

Sadly Dan, that is the first thing that popped into this sick and twisted mind I have. :)

[isaiahsdad]

That was good.