Will I get struck by lightning tonight?

I am going to photograph in a storm if it happens, and am wondering what the risks are.

edit: I may well be holding an umbrella, posibly with a metal handle....

I didn't vote, but you may want to read these...
Avoid getting struck by lightning

Randy

Rodreguez wrote in post #5827143
I am going to photograph in a storm if it happens, and am wondering what the risks are.

In order to dramatically increase the odds of the first choice, look for a really big tree (or a power pole with a transformer), and stand under or close to it.

Hopefully you won't follow my highly technical, knowledgeable and suspicious advice.

Glenn NK wrote in post #5827241
In order to dramatically increase the odds of the first choice, look for a really big tree (or a power pole with a transformer), and stand under or close to it.

Hopefully you won't follow my highly technical, knowledgeable and suspicious advice.

Wouldn't it be better to actually hold on to it? Or will standing under it suffice?

Probably, but I'm guessing you'll only get hit once?

PhotosGuy wrote in post #5827317
Probably, but I'm guessing you'll only get hit once?

This is interesting - I read in the Regina Leader-Post of a guy that was struck by lightning (not seriously injured), and a year or so later was struck again. And not seriously injured the second time. His stars must be in perfect alignment (because the clouds sure aren't).

Glenn NK wrote in post #5828265
(because the clouds sure aren't).

lol!

I have always been told that when your hair starts to stand up, it is a warning that you are about to become a conductor. Personally, I am screwed.

Well, I survived. Got a half decent shot but the lighthouse is a bit central for my liking. I'm tempted to crop some of the right, but it'd mean leaving the building half out of shot. Thought about cropping it to a square just after the second building right of the lighthouse and to just left of the end of the land. Any opinions?:

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I would crop the right side as you suggested, but leave the left side alone. I think some water past the land's end on the left would look good.

Good to hear you are alive and well.

Congrats for surviving. I had a chance to take pictures at a country club with 3 sides of porch I could stand under the covering. I passed on it. The wind, the rain, the lightning, it was scary. Went inside and enjoyed the lightshow indoors. Glad you survived and the suggestion above is exactly what I was thinking seeing your image. Crop the right side out and show off the storm and lighthouse.

Cropped it. Not sure though. Seems to have lost some of the dynamics of the original but the lighthouse is definitely in a better place. Ho hum..

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Yes, on the screen it has lost something. Did you shoot RAW?

Rodreguez wrote in post #5834125
Cropped it. Not sure though. Seems to have lost some of the dynamics of the original but the lighthouse is definitely in a better place. Ho hum..

You could play around with the crop a little more to bring back some of what you liked about the shot.

I cropped it on the right in the middle of the third building, and cropped off 'just enough' on the bottom and to to make it look almost panoramic looking.
(It's not even close to a "panoramic", but the tower is slightly off to the right now anyway)
I don't know if you plan on printing the image, but if you aren't, you could maybe go this route.

The cropped one I just did, and the original one below it...

Randy

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Suzie,
Yeah I shot RAW, but I'm not sure processing can help this image much. Feel free to prove me wrong, but I'm not sure trying to "polish a turd" so to speak will help. (Although I'm not suggesting that is what you mean)

Personally I don't think it's the processing that's the problem, rather the pictoral dynamics of the shot. Although the compositon is a weak with the lighthouse in the first shot, alot of what is going on towards the edges of the frame is what is giving the image a feeling of forces pulling against one another, in particular the sky on the top right of the image. Although the composition is weak, the strength of the original image comes from that angry area of sky at the top which I felt I had to crop out to maintain a format which worked with the image. I also think cropping out the large building on the right has weakened the image as in the original it strengthens the lead in line towards the lighthouse.

It's a shame really because I was standing as far left as possible on the edge of a rock so I can't go back in similar conditions, walk a few paces left and re-frame the shot much different. It seems that it would be impossible to frame it any different without losing the sky. I might give it a go though!

Randy, I think your crop looks better than mine on the whole as there seems to be more sky, but I just can't get over that building half in and half out of shot. Maybe I'm being too anal!