Thunder and Lightning

[garymercer]

Hi

So today we had a heck of a storm. I got the camera out, mounted on tripod, put my 2 ND filters on and thought let me see the lightning.

Well, I saw the lightning but me getting a photo of it was just not going to happen. I had my wired remote taking 2sec exposures. Every time the lightning flashed my camera had just taken a photo so I got nothing. Not a single shot.

I'm glad I was in my kitchen though, those hailstones would have really hurt.

Ah well, maybe next time!!

 

[D.S.]

Never tried it but i'm sure you need the apeture already open when the lightning flashes.

In the dark I think you have to use mirror lockup, but i'm not sure what you would have to do in daylight.

I douby anyone has the reactions to catch it on the button.

 

[Creed]

Yeah as far as I am aware you need a high aperture therefore letting as little light in as possible, so that you can keep the shutter open. Then I think the technique is to use a shutter release cable and simply keep the shutter open until the lightning then close it.... probably easier said than done... would try it myself but don't have a shutter cable

 

[garymercer]

I was at f/22 and 2 Cokin ND's on. anything over 3 or 4 secs and it was over exposed.

Problem was, while it was lightning the sun came out then went very dark, weather was all over the place.

The shutter cable was set to just constantly do 2 sec exposures, i knew I wouldn't get it by just pressing the shutter myself. Hmmmmm, mirror lockup, might be worth a go.

 

[laser_jock99]

To catch a bolt in daylight with 2 second exposures would be very lucky- what you need is a good night time storm so you can leave the shutter open much longer.

Set the camera to ISO 100, turn OFF any noise reduction function. Set the shutter to BULB (locking cable release needed), set the aperture to F8 or F11, turn OFF autofocus and set the focus to infinty. Finally open the shutter and wait. As soon as you reach 1 minute or so close shutter even if no lighting is captured and re-shoot (test your location for the maxium exposure time before 'sky washout'). If you do catch a strike close the shutter straight away and start to re-shoot again- you don't want too much light building up in the exposure.

 

[willbaroo]

To catch a bolt in daylight with 2 second exposures would be very lucky- what you need is a good night time storm so you can leave the shutter open much longer.

Set the camera to ISO 100, turn OFF any noise reduction function. Set the shutter to BULB (locking cable release needed), set the aperture to F8 or F11, turn OFF autofocus and set the focus to infinty. Finally open the shutter and wait. As soon as you reach 1 minute or so close shutter even if no lighting is captured and re-shoot (test your location for the maxium exposure time before 'sky washout'). If you do catch a strike close the shutter straight away and start to re-shoot again- you don't want too much light building up in the exposure.

What that man said...although this was captured around the 5-6ish mark last year in Oct you get the jist...

 

[Creed]

What that man said...although this was captured around the 5-6ish mark last year in Oct you get the jist...

Very nice, hopefully I will be able to get something like that one day... I love thunderstorms.

 

[garymercer]

That is an excellent photo. I just wish we could get a storm at night

 

[mid_gen]

I had a quick look out the window yesterday evening but it was too light to do anything more than a 1 sec exposure....and the lightning was fairly sporadic (although made a hell of a noise when it did let go)

 

[andyred]

I was up at the M6 pass yesterday - at the mast and later in the day there was a storm brewing on the other side of the valley. Tried and failed to get a lightening bolt.

Then the weather turned and it came onto us, so had the bright thought of I'd try again as it was flashing like mad over Kendal - soon changed my mind when a bolt hit the mast as I was near it - never felt the heat from a strike before, never heard the bang so quick and loud, never run so bloody fast down a hill either

 

[Amp34]

To catch a bolt in daylight with 2 second exposures would be very lucky- what you need is a good night time storm so you can leave the shutter open much longer.

Set the camera to ISO 100, turn OFF any noise reduction function. Set the shutter to BULB (locking cable release needed), set the aperture to F8 or F11, turn OFF autofocus and set the focus to infinty. Finally open the shutter and wait. As soon as you reach 1 minute or so close shutter even if no lighting is captured and re-shoot (test your location for the maxium exposure time before 'sky washout'). If you do catch a strike close the shutter straight away and start to re-shoot again- you don't want too much light building up in the exposure.

I partially agree, I got this with the above technique last summer.

Medium aperture (f/7.1, ISO 100, 46s)

However if you have metered correctly for the background you don't want to shut the shutter immediately, leave it to go it's course IMO, or you will just have a dark image with a shaft of light.

(I cheated slightly with that shot, I attached it to my auto shutter release, set it to auto and dialed in 45seconds for the exposure, then went and sat down/played in the rain.)

 

[Hammerhead64]

The thing with the storm last night was that it wasn't possible to hold the shutter open as the light was far too much ..... so it was down to perseverance and a bit of luck ..... here's my feeble attempt. ...

Paul