Storms

Olympus8MP

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Hi,

There is a thunderstorm rolling into youngstown right now, and I'd like to capture it on film.. err.. silicon.. :) Anyway, does someone have any tips on how to do so? I'd like mostly lightning pictures. How do I protect my camera equipment from rain? What is the best method for shooting lightning?

Also, is there some kind of item I can buy that resembles a bag, and has a threaded lens cover that is clear. This would be a good thing to have, because then I could just thread the cover onto my lens and shut the camera in the bag.. voila! a water-resistant camera. If this doesn't exist, I call dibs on the copyright! :D

Thanks,
Sean
 
It is really pretty simple. Put your camera on a tripod facing the storms. Set your ISO as low as possible, and set your aperture to something around f/8. Focus to infinity. The longer the shutterspeed the more lightning you can get per image and the more exposed the rest of the picture will be. Depending on whether or not you want a properly exposed scene will determine exactly how long you keep the shutter open. I use 5-10 second exposures at night to get lightning

lightning.jpg


The above settings are for night shots. If it is a storm during the day (where the ambient light is brighter) you either use ND filters/polarizers to reduce the light, or tighten the aperture even more for the shutterspeed you want.

As for keeping the gear dry, well the above photo was taken with the door to my house open and the camera inside the house. got the floor a little wet from the rain though.

I didnt have time to try any other methods, but really anything that keeps water out should work. I'll probably go out to an open area (not too open) and use an umbrella rigged to a stand/tripod to keep the gear dry, or hold it yourself if you arent worried about the lightning. Also, you can take a plastic bag, cut a hole that fits your lens and put it over the camera, and the side with the handles is already open for the LCD and viewfinder.
 
I didnt have time to try any other methods, but really anything that keeps water out should work. I'll probably go out to an open area (not too open) and use an umbrella rigged to a stand/tripod to keep the gear dry, or hold it yourself if you arent worried about the lightning. Also, you can take a plastic bag, cut a hole that fits your lens and put it over the camera, and the side with the handles is already open for the LCD and viewfinder.

Electrically, the area within which a metal object is dangerous is the same as its height. So if you have a umbrella sticking 7 feet into the air, the lightning would have to strike within 7 feet of it anyway for the umbrella to make a difference.

But yeah, I also thought of the umbrella idea. Thanks for the aperture and shutter tips. :D
 
Electrically, the area within which a metal object is dangerous is the same as its height. So if you have a umbrella sticking 7 feet into the air, the lightning would have to strike within 7 feet of it anyway for the umbrella to make a difference.

But yeah, I also thought of the umbrella idea. Thanks for the aperture and shutter tips. :D


But, if you are in a flat field, that 7 feet may be a little too much.

Thanks for the science lesson though, thats interesting.
 
But, if you are in a flat field, that 7 feet may be a little too much.

Thanks for the science lesson though, thats interesting.

lol, no problem. Electrical Engineering is my major :D . Yeah 7 feet is too close for comfort, but at 7 feet, youre still getting hurt anyways...

Either way its best just to stay in a car or building.. :D

I've been reading up on the anatomy of thunderstorms and where best to observe their awesome size. Its really quite interesting. Storms are like car engines. They have inflow and outflow areas and convert heat into mechanical energy, namely wind and the conversion of water vapor into rain :D :D
 
lol, no problem. Electrical Engineering is my major :D . Yeah 7 feet is too close for comfort, but at 7 feet, youre still getting hurt anyways...

Either way its best just to stay in a car or building.. :D

I've been reading up on the anatomy of thunderstorms and where best to observe their awesome size. Its really quite interesting. Storms are like car engines. They have inflow and outflow areas and convert heat into mechanical energy, namely wind and the conversion of water vapor into rain :D :D

No kidding. Awesome info, for real thats cool as can be.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29394721/?qo=8&q=by:tpfers&qh=sort:time+-in:scraps

awesome picture on the TPFers deviant art. Find out who's that is and you'll get more info than I can provide.
 

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