DSLR Speed Challenge #316: MIGHTY

The new theme for speed challenge number 316 is MIGHTY. It can be a person, place, thing, event, or anything you think of as mighty. Think of synonyms for the word too, to help you during the competition. Get creative, and try to have the photo tell the story of why it is mighty.

Do not forget to include the photograph's name in the message subject line of your post.

This challenge begins when posted, and will end at 10PM Eastern time Monday, January 27, 2014. Winner of this challenge will be announced shortly thereafter.

Standard Rules apply:
Photo Submissions:

1. Camera - Any Canon DSLR Camera
2. Time - any on-topic photo taken at any time is eligible, although photos that have won other competitions should NOT be entered.
3. Size - Please visit Image Posting Rules.
4. Post-Processing - do whatever you like and the host will decide if it works.
5. Posting - * ONE PHOTO per photographer in each challenge.* Photo Name in the message subject line.* Camera model & lens used.* Notes -- post brief EXIF data including ISO, shutter speed and aperture used.
6. Commenting - No commenting during challenge. When the posting is closed and a winner has been declared, comments can be made in this thread.
7. Keep it clean, and both Family and Work safe.
8. Have questions, PM me.
9. Have FUN!

One challenge every week, on the following schedule:

* New Topic - After winner is declared.
* Posting Starts - Right after topic is announced.
* Posting Ends - Monday, January 27, 2014, 10PM US-Eastern time .
* Winner from this competition decides the theme of the next one (and judges it for a winner) after this competition is closed

Mighty Bull Elephant Seal

MIGHTY FAST

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

Poverty Point Lightning

Good submissions everyone, thank you for participating. The winner of this challenge is sandwedge. Lightning is very humbling, it's very powerful and mighty.

ejrj6586 wrote in post #16642944
The winner of this challenge is sandwedge. Lightning is very humbling, it's very powerful and mighty.

Impressive photo. I'd be interested in hearing if you have any special secrets in setting up for photos of lightning.

I am so sorry that I have kept you guys waiting. I have been caught up in the middle of Atlanta's "Snowjam 2014", and haven't been on my computer. Luckily, I've been in a hotel room, but the events happening around me have been the center of my attention.

Thank you, Maureen, for sending me a message.

I'm on my phone right now, and have no idea how to copy and paste all the rules into a new thread. If someone would be willing to start the new contest, I would be extremely grateful. If not, I'll get the new thread started after I (hopefully) get home tomorrow afternoon.

In the last 36 hours, I have witnessed (live and via media) several examples of everyday people stepping up and assisting their fellow man. In honor of this, this week's theme will be "Heros".

Groundloop, I will be happy to share how I got the shot. I will try to post that tomorrow.

Thanks again, and I apologize again.

I got the new challenge posted on your behalf, made deadline next Wednesday at 10PM.

Crazy all the ice and snow down that way!

Thank you, ej.

No problem!

Thanks to all for the great teamwork..... It would be nice if a few more folks joined in this next week.

sandwedge wrote in post #16648659
I have been caught up in the middle of Atlanta's "Snowjam 2014".....

Dang, that's what I've been doing also (though I've got an added twist at the end). I checked the pavement at work around 11 AM Tuesday and noticed it was starting to freeze, so told my boss we needed to send everyone home right now. He hemmed and hawed for a couple more hours, by that time it was too late. I only made it about 4 miles up the road. I clawed my way into a parking lot where my car would be safe, then hiked a mile and a half to a motel. The road my car was on was still too icy to consider leaving on Wednesday so wound up spending a second night. I at least was lucky enough to have a warm room and a bed, I watched the news and saw so many people who had to spend the night in their cars - and it was COLD (6 degrees by Wednesday AM where I was at).

PLUS an added bonus - my wife drove herself to the emergency room Thursday morning with severe abdominal pain. I finally made it there Thursday afternoon, shortly after I got there it was determined that she needed an appendectomy post haste. She's doing fine now, but it's certainly been an "interesting" week.

Good to hear that you and your wife are doing well. It was definitely an interesting week.

I don't have any special secrets of lightning photography. It's just something I like to do. I recently moved back to Atlanta after living in Louisiana for a while. I haven't even tried to do any storm chasing here. In Louisiana, there were wide open views and lightly traveled roads. Here, not so much.

As for setting up for the shot, you of course want a tripod and cable release. Getting the right aperture/shutter speed/ISO is kind of an art, similar to any other photography. I also use live view to focus, which can still be a challenge if it's really dark. I try to set up to allow for around 20 second shots. If lightning doesn't hit by then, I release the shutter and try again (notice the shot above was 20 seconds - it hit right as I released the shutter and I thought I had missed it). When lightning does hit, I release the shutter right then, as the extra light has illuminated the shot.

Different lightning has different brightness, due to lightning type and distance from you. You have to be ready to be flexible with your ISO and aperture to account for it.

I think the only other thing is that I've found that for the really good shots, there has to be something else in the picture. I think the setting of the above photo really helps. I've got many shots from farm fields that are pretty cool, but just don't match up to the shots where there is something else in the photo. Probably my coolest shot is of lightning over the Mississippi River Bridge in Vicksburg, MS. I thought about entering it in this contest, but I thought the above shot represented "Mighty" a little better, with the large bolt actually hitting the ground. You can see the bridge lightning shot on my flickr page (in my signature).

I think in Atlanta, a cool shot would be of downtown with lightning.