Lightning Strikes (twice)...

[pixeldawg]

I love shooting fast action, and one of the ways that I practice is to attempt to shoot lightning bolts. At one time, I was proficient enough to get 7 bolts in ten frames. Now, let me clarify that this is shooting at shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or higher. Anyone can shoot a bolt on a "bulb" setting. This is purely an exercise in timing. I have two images here- one shot in Las Vegas from the Stratosphere Hotel and another from a high school baseball game in Mumford, Alabama (between Talladega and Anniston).

BTW, I forgot to mention too that both of these are hand-held shots, no tripods.

I hope you enjoy these...

 

[keybq]

nice even thought the second one is very noisy i think that is the best out of the two.

 

[pixeldawg]

Heh... It's really not noise, but film. What you see is GRAIN. Tri-X pushed to 1600 ISO and developed in Acufine. Thanks for looking!

 

[pixeldawg]

Man... tough crowd!

 

[pugnacious33]

First shot is SICK!!!!!!!!!!!

You da man bro!

 

[bigtwinky]

Man... tough crowd!

Often times, a lack of response is a sign of something that is good (or very very very bad). So take it as a compliment.

 

[MATTY_T]

im really digging the first shot!

 

[epp_b]

I was going to say, that's not noise, that's grain. Grain at that level still looks a lot nicer than an equivalent amount of noise.

 

[Big Bully]

Wow, I was watching a documentary on lightning and found out that it is easier to catch on film than it is to video!
I love the shot in Vegas. And the football game.. Is definately from a film camera. There is definately a difference in I want to say texture, between film and digital. Great job.

 

[Lackoffunding]

I am impressed by the shutter speed. Do you just see it and react? I like the shot, but it seems like the lightning would be better defined at a lower aperture. But like you said, that wasn't the point of the exercise. I can see you definitely have experience with shooting lightning. Not only did you get a picture of it, but you got a well composed shot of it as well.

 

[pixeldawg]

I am impressed by the shutter speed. Do you just see it and react? I like the shot, but it seems like the lightning would be better defined at a lower aperture. But like you said, that wasn't the point of the exercise. I can see you definitely have experience with shooting lightning. Not only did you get a picture of it, but you got a well composed shot of it as well.

Yes, see and react. Typically, I'll watch where the bolts are generating from and then try to compose the shot accordingly. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes not! Just depends if the "photo gods" are smiling on me at that particular moment or not.

I'm not too sure that I'm understanding what you mean by using a lower aperture. Can you explain this? Are you saying that the image should be darker or lighter? My thoughs here, in anticipation of your response, is that I wanted enough light to see the details within the city and the surrounding mountains, yet dark enough to show that it's early evening. To me, detail in night and dusk shots is an important element, and I try to show that in the images I produce during these situations if it (artistically speaking) calls for that.

Thanks for the interest, folks!