My first lightnening picture

[iPhoto17]

i was lucky enough to have a thunderstorm by my house today without the rain coming down on me, since the lightening was very sporadic and about 30 seconds from eachother it was hard to get a centered shot, but i did get this one, i put the shutter speed to bulb setting and closed the aperture to f/25 and did 3-5 second exposures hoping the lightening would strike within those, i was able to somewhat time and frame this one shot, hope you like it.

 

[Ryan L]

Thats one thing I have not been able to capture...seems like every time I predict where its going to strike, its to my left or right! I have given up until the rapture. I think I will get something good then.

 

[tirediron]

Nicely done!

 

[iPhoto17]

thank you

 

[iPhoto17]

yeah, i wouldve attempted more shots if there was more lightening thank once every 30 seconds, i guess the no rain made up for it though

 

[EPPhoto]

You should have tried to get another shot that had lightning in the left side of the image. Then blend the two images together. (Some DSLR's can do this in camera now.). It would have helped all that emptiness in the shot.

Sent from Erics iPhone! (2) Nikon D300 50mm 1.4, 17-55 2.8, 70-200 2.8VRII, 24-70 2.8, 85mm 1.4, (2) SB900

 

[iPhoto17]

i do have a second shot with a little bit of lightening on the left

 

[iPhoto17]

 

[anthonymichael]

I also just got my first lightening shot. What helped me get it was to use the intervalometer. I set the exposure and just turned it on to take 100 pictures. I only got one worth using because though because it started hailing. lightning | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[iPhoto17]

thats a nice shot, where does one get an intervalometer?

 

[Chlosse]

Lucky! It's awesome to get "nature action shots", since typically the only things you have to chase after are living things.
I guess because I've taken/seen so many lightningstorm snapshots angled upward like this that I'm jaded...lighting captured on flat ground from eye level is epicc

ex: http://www.lifeclever.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/lightning.jpg
Unwetter mit Blitzlicht | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Thunderstorm 12 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Buckster]

Congrats! Getting your first lightning shot is very exciting, not least of all because it usually follows a (large) number of unsuccessful attempts. You may find these threads of interest:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-photo-gallery/216736-shooting-lightning.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/general-shop-talk/209441-lightning-trigger.html

My lightning recipe:

Tripod
Wide angle
Buildings or other elements to juxtapose the lightning with/against
Long shutter (usually 30 seconds, depending on how dark it is out)
Tight aperture
Focus set to infinity and locked down
Lots of frames - most will be throwaways - once in a while, you get a 'keeper'

Good luck and happy hunting! :thumbup:

ETA: Here's my most recent:

If you look at the EXIF, you'll see that was shot at 1/15th second. Departing from my usual long exposures for lightning, I was trying out a lightning trigger I'd just gotten. They cost a little over a hundred bucks US, and turns out they work really well.

 

[iPhoto17]

thats a nice shot buck, ill look into getting a lightening trigger, even though it may seem like cheating.

i just kept taking 3-4 second exposures and aiming the camera in the general direction of the lightening and hoped i got something, are lightening triggers universal for cameras or are there different models, it just doesnt storm enough around here to make it worth that much money for one

 

[Buckster]

thats a nice shot buck, ill look into getting a lightening trigger, even though it may seem like cheating.

i just kept taking 3-4 second exposures and aiming the camera in the general direction of the lightening and hoped i got something, are lightening triggers universal for cameras or are there different models, it just doesnt storm enough around here to make it worth that much money for one

Internally, lightning triggers are essentially the same and, in fact, are basically optical slaves like those that are built into most studio lights. When a flash is detected, they trigger the circuit they're attached to. In the case of studio lights, they fire the light. In the case of the lightning trigger, they fire the shutter via the remote shutter trigger port. That said, you need to order one that will fit your particular camera's remote shutter trigger port.

 

[iPhoto17]

thanks for the info, ill see what i can find