O.K...help please (advice)

[Noni]

I haven't any shots to ask for advice about. What I do have is a trip to a very very stormy Tennessee tomorrow. The last time I was there, a most wondrous storm occurred (until the tornado alert went off...).

Anyway, there is a distinct chance that I will get to shoot lightning. Living here in So CA, that's a rarity.

What would be the very best advice you could give a newbie about setting up and shooting? Lens? Aperture? Shutter speed? Release button or camera itself? And so on, and so on. And any tricks to knowing when/where the lightning will come?

Thanks, and I hope to have some good shots to show you all when I get home.

Best-
Noni

[TommySharp]

That's a good question that I wouldn't mind knowing more about.

Did a search on pbase.com and found this pic...

http://www.pbase.com/sayles/image/25748049/large

From the EXIF information it looks like a long shutter speed is used on a dark night... That way you won't have to try and fire off the shutter as the lightening strikes.... Just set it to bulb and wait maybe????

I don't knwo what I'm talking about though so who knows...

[Basic]

I found this site helpful.
http://www.lightningphotography.com/tips.html

[zach]

I'm by no means an expert in lightning photos, but what I did was set the focus to manual and focus at infinity(not knowing where the lightning was going to strike. Then I think it was usually a 2-4 second exposure. My shots were taken at night in the pitch black on a vacation to Colorado, so these setting seemed to work.

These were taken with the kit lens(18-55)

http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/500/1386lightning_strike2-med.jpg

http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/500/1386Lightning_Strike-med.jpg

My best guess is it's very similar to shooting fireworks.

[Noni]

You guys just rock. Thanks! Maybe with this information and a ton of luck, I'll get a lightning shot! I'll let you know!

My best guess is it's very similar to shooting fireworks.
Of which I have the exact same amount of experience as I do shooting lightning. LOL! Well, 4th of July is coming up, so maybe I'll get lucky then, too.

Best-
Noni

[henleg]

I'm by no means an expert in lightning photos, but what I did was set the focus to manual and focus at infinity(not knowing where the lightning was going to strike. Then I think it was usually a 2-4 second exposure. My shots were taken at night in the pitch black on a vacation to Colorado, so these setting seemed to work.

These were taken with the kit lens(18-55)


My best guess is it's very similar to shooting fireworks.

You could've afforded to leave the shutter open for longer, to expose some of the foreground.

I still really like what you've done, though. If that was the effect you were going for, it was very well done...

[robertwgross]

The prevailing wisdom about shooting lightning is not to wait for the strike and then release the shutter. It's digital, right? So, aim in the direction of the approaching storm, and release the shutter with some long period, like a second. Damn, I got nothing. Repeat. Damn, I got nothing. Repeat. After a while, you will get lucky with one. That's OK. Delete all of the failures and keep the good one.

I think it helps the shot if you have some foreground, but whether you want to illuminate that with flash or not is a personal preference.

---Bob Gross---

[Titus213]

Twas a dark and stormy night....

Actually if it's a real dark storm you can use an exposure around 15-30 seconds and repeat as Bob Gross explains. That's the way my avitar was created......

[Noni]

It's digital, right? So, aim in the direction of the approaching storm, and release the shutter with some long period, like a second. Damn, I got nothing. Repeat. Damn, I got nothing. Repeat. After a while, you will get lucky with one. That's OK. Delete all of the failures and keep the good one.
That was the plan...it's a clean card, a full battery, and vacation. I may be able to do this! LOL!!!

I'll also experiment with several different exposure times, too, so that I can see the different effects.

You guys really are helpful. I do appreciate it!

Best-
Noni

[Noni]

O.K., last really stupid question...how does one focus on "infinity"? I'm not exacty sure how that's done, although I suspect it's setting the focus ring all the way open. I can't see infinity, so I'm not sure what I'm focusing on, but is that correct?

Thanks!

Best-
Michele

[BlueTit]

The simple answer is yes, and switch camera / lens to Manual focus so it does not change back.

Enjoy your trip and good luck with catching "that" shot.

[Noni]

Thanks, Blue. I will double check to make sure it's on manual, but that's how I planned to shoot. I appreciate the confirmation, no doubt.

And keep your fingers crossed that I get "a" shot, not necessarily "the" shot - but if that shows up for me, all the better! LOL!

Best-
Noni

[zach]

Oh Yeah, TRIPOD! Thats probably obvious though.:lol:

If that was the effect you were going for, it was very well done...

Henleg, after watching the storm strike a few times I really liked the silhouette it was projecting. The foreground was rather boring in this case, in the future I'd love to get some better lit shots.

[Noni]

O.K., despite all the prayers we could muster, I never got in a storm. Drat and darn and drat again. There were storms just to the north of us when I got there, and then, when I went to IL, there were storms to the south...so no joy.

But I will be in the east again, and the midwest, so I haven't lost hope. I will say I was soooo ready; I had all the notes, the equipment, and all I needed was some better timing.

I did get some wonderful shots though. While they aren't storms, I think I got my first really good moon rise shot, as well as a spectacular sunset, and lots of candids of the people I was hanging around with.

A great trip - which would've been perfect had I been able to control nature. Gotta work on that, I guess.

Best-
Noni

[robertwgross]

If you want lightning, go to where they wrote the book: Central Florida, maybe Orlando.

I think I know how to make lightning show up where I am. I had to do some engineering work at the rooftop of a building in Lenexa, Kansas. So, there I am, walking around among the antenna cables and lightning protectors, and I can see a typical thunderstorm approaching on the horizon. I continued my work, and I kept glancing up to see the storm progress. When the lightning appeared, I started counting the flash-to-bang time. Five seconds. Then four. Then three. Then two. Then one. That's when I dove through the roof hatch and slammed it closed. Then something hit virtually right on top of the building. If I had stayed up there any longer, I might have become a crispy critter.

The hell of it was that I had a small camera in my briefcase, and I was too busy to get it out.

---Bob Gross---

[Noni]

LOL at Bob...you stayed up there longer than I would've! And yes, I'd've forgotten to take pictures, too, if that wasn't what I was there for in the first place!

time to get all 950+ photos downloaded....I'll be putting some of my more favorite shots up tonight and/or tomorrow.

Best-
Noni