As you noticed, this is also my new blog header. But the whole picture is too cool to pass up. I was out driving about a few nights back and I noticed a thunderstorm approaching. So I drove out of Woodstock to a lonely place and took 600+ pictures over the next 1 1/2 hours. Getting a picture of lightning is no easy task. I also like this lightning picture, and this one.
Other Friday photos: Joe Thorn
Those are amazing pictures.
Posted by: Keith | 06/02/2006 at 11:21 AM
That's a really awesome picture and it makes for a tight banner.
I may use it as a desktop background as well if you don't mind...
Posted by: Brandon | 06/02/2006 at 11:53 AM
Sure Brandon.
Posted by: Steve McCoy | 06/02/2006 at 11:54 AM
Awesome shot Steve.
And no one has to ask permission to use a photo they pull from the Internet for their private desktop. Permission is only needed for public reproduction/use.
Posted by: Joe Thorn | 06/02/2006 at 12:10 PM
Steve,
You've got a great eye! This picture is stirring!
Posted by: Michael Foster | 06/02/2006 at 12:13 PM
Steve, this is fantastic. You're like Neil Young and you rock the free world.
I might have tried to take a picture of this, as well, except that my daughter was gripping my head and wouldn't let go because of the sheer intensity of this storm.
Posted by: Darren Larson | 06/02/2006 at 12:59 PM
no friday photos for me this week. or next probably.
good pic. i was wondering how you knew when the lightning was coming to take the shot. but 600+... now i see.
Posted by: joe kennedy | 06/02/2006 at 02:50 PM
Steve, can you provide some guidance/suggestions for those of us who'd like to try and photograph lightning? Over the past year I've started getting into digital photography as a hobby, and I'm love to learn how to do this. Pointers?
Posted by: Christian Cryder | 06/02/2006 at 03:09 PM
Tripod, long exposure, lots of pics.
Steve - what was your aperture and ISO?
Posted by: Joe Thorn | 06/02/2006 at 03:35 PM
Christian. This was my first time trying to get a lightning pic. I've never read on the subject either. So my only help is from my experience the other day and the mistakes I made (pushing lots of buttons and wasting too much time) before figuring out some stuff. More seasoned photographers will have better advice.
1. Use a tripod. I didn't have one with me and that made it harder. At one point, actually the point where I got almost all of my best lightning pics, I was bracing the camera on the rack on top of my '95 Mercury Sable station wagon (it's what I call a total chick magnet). It was awkward and problematic, so bring a tripod.
2. Be patient. I say I took 600+ pics, and it was at least that. Honestly it may have bee more like 1000, but I wasn't counting. I was constantly taking pics and deleting to make room for more.
3. Don't wait for lightning. To get a lightning pic you have to take a pic when there is no lightning. By the time you've seen it, it's too late.
4. I take most of my pics on aperture priority setting, which means the shutter adjusts it's speed to the aperture setting. I wanted to take pictures that were slightly too dark since the lightning would be very bright. So I put it on manual instead of aperature and adjusted the shutter speed to slightly too fast. This provided two added bonuses. One, it helped me take more pictures in less time. Two, a faster shutter means less chance to take a blurry pic.
5. Set the camera to continuous shooting mode (not on single shot mode). At first I would take a pic here and there and that wasn't working. Then I changed so it would take several shots in a row (2.5 per second) and I just pointed at the sky, held the button down, and took about 50 pics at a time.
6. Get lucky. I was lucky. I had a storm that was on the verge of dying and it almost stopped moving. It barely moved in 90 minutes time.
7. Duh, get to an open place. Oh! And don't stand directly below the lightning.
There's my 7 point plan for taking pictures of lightning. Hope it helps at least a little.
Posted by: Steve McCoy | 06/02/2006 at 03:42 PM
My ISO was 200 (which is what I always use unless I don't have a choice). Aperture was f/4. With no tripod I had to keep the shutter speed up. Other properties here.
Posted by: Steve McCoy | 06/02/2006 at 04:27 PM
Yeah I know you don't. I actually already had it set as a background on my second monitor. I just like being polite (and it tends to let the author, etc know that you appreciate their work :) )
Posted by: Brandon | 06/03/2006 at 12:40 PM
Thanks Brandon. Joe's a jerk. ;)
Posted by: Steve McCoy | 06/03/2006 at 01:22 PM
I am not a jerk! Oh, by the way. Steve, is it okay if I read some of your posts out loud to a friend? Thanks.
Joe
Posted by: Joe Thorn | 06/03/2006 at 05:22 PM
Joe, you don't have any friends.
Posted by: Steve McCoy | 06/03/2006 at 05:36 PM
Instead of reading his posts outloud, I just print them all out and distribute them at church for 5 bucks a copy. Gotta cover cost of paper after all.
Posted by: Brandon | 06/03/2006 at 09:49 PM
What incredible pictures! I also enjoyed your comments above regarding how you took this picture.
Posted by: Jim Martin | 06/10/2006 at 07:04 AM