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Went out to shoot hummers this evening, but got rained out---I ended up with these: Not a bad consolation prize. Also, thanks for the fireworks tips Bryan, they also work fairly well for lightning.
http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/s9/v15/p837472016-4.jpg
http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/s8/v10/p935981001-4.jpg
http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/s10/...02601959-4.jpg
http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/s8/v12/p911795189-4.jpg
Hope you like,
Bob
Wow, looks like one heck of a storm!! Awesome shots, Bob!
Wow! Those are some lightning fast hummers.[:D]
Cool Shots.., I hope you used a Carbon Fiber Tripod, so you don't get fried!
That looks pretty scary!
That first shot is kind of unusual with the lightning going sideways as opposed to striking the ground.
Rich
Wow pretty cool Bob!
That 3rd shot is amazing and it looks very very close! [A]
I don't know, but I would try to crop out the first one in panorama-style. It looks amazing.
What settings did you use?
Jan
Nice shots Bob....lightning is a good option to have after HBs.
Funny part is, my Nikonian cousin in ABQ sent me his first successful (vertical) lightning shots this morning....I opened my email first.
Here's a link you may enjoy; http://www.weatherscapes.com/techniques.php?cat=lightning&page=lightning
Regards
Bill
Bob,
You have captued the light streak very well. I am curious as to why the sky is so purple though? Was it dusk or is this over exposure? Also I find the tree tops and roofs in the neighborhood a little distracting as if you were outside on you patio or deck.
Tom
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheiky
Settings: 7D, 24-105L @ 24mm, ISO 100, F11, 30 Second exposure, shutter release, Tripod. All Shots were taken off of my back porch. I tried to frame out all of the nieghborhood distractions like street lights, telephone poles etc but still leave some reference to the ground, i.e. trees. In hind site, my 10-22 may have been a better choice since the lightning was so close.
Her is the crop you suggested:
http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/s9/v15/p941803094-4.jpg
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Wertman
Don't know exactly why the color purple---Just before the storm @ sunset the sky was actually a very rich gold color. These pics are pretty much as shot, I intended to leave some ground reference, hence the trees, But I guess I should crop out the houses. In fact, I did take these off my back porch---It was raining and I wasn't going to risk my gear.
Thanks for the feedback,
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill W
Yeah, It was a pretty good show; unfortunately not much time to plan and setup. In a panic, I even had to use the AA insert for my battery grip since my only two camera batteries died during the middle of the storm and my rechargeable AAswere recharging.
Thanks,
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Lane
The lightning was very close, some strikes even hit our nieghborhood and yes, I had my trusty Gitzo CF tripod[:#]
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Lane
The lightning was very close, some strikes even hit our nieghborhood and yes, I had my trusty Gitzo CF tripod[:#]
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddt0725
Thanks Denise.
Just an FYI Bob (and others)...carbon fiber does conduct electricity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
Hmm I'm not sure about it. I like the fact that it lost the disturbing objects, however it somehow lost a sense of nature in it as well. It does seem unnatural going this way, while with the foreground objects you can see that it actually happened. I guess I was wrong [;)] What do you think yourself?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
I'm not sure either, but I guess you used auto white balance, which could be off for these shots. And perhaps the lightning creates this sort of color due to electrons and gasses or something(like the space photos from Jon Ruyle)...really I have no clue.
Why is the sky normally blue when you look upwards? While if you see shots from a space shuttle or something, it's all black around the earth [A]
This could be an interesting debate [:P]
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
Hmm I'm not sure about it. I like the fact that it lost the disturbing objects, however it somehow lost a sense of nature in it as well. It does seem unnatural going this way, while with the foreground objects you can see that it actually happened. I guess I was wrong [;)] What do you think yourself?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
I'm not sure either, but I guess you used auto white balance, which could be off for these shots. And perhaps the lightning creates this sort of color due to electrons and gasses or something(like the space photos from Jon Ruyle)...really I have no clue.
Why is the sky normally blue when you look upwards? While if you see shots from a space shuttle or something, it's all black around the earth [A]
This could be an interesting debate [:P]
</div>
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheiky
Simple answer for you Jan;
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]"The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air. <o:p></o:p>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]However, much of the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks blue. <o:p></o:p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"]Out in space, the sky looks dark and black, instead of blue because there is no atmosphere. There is no scattered light to reach your eyes."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill W
I knew someone would answer this question [:P], and I just figured it was because we had lots dirt in the air.
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheiky
I agree with you, it looks fake withoutreference objects
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheiky
Nope, White balance was set to daylight--I figured this was as close to white light as I could get, But---this was also the color actually seen, so I left it alone. I also liked it because it was a little different than normal.
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill W
NOW you tell me [:#]
Thanks for the "simple" answer Bill, it does make a lot of sense [:D] After reading it 3 times, I learned something today [Y]
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
Exactly my point. Too bad..
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I really like the shots... great job!
Well Bob, at least you didn't go up on the roof like someone else I know in the ABQ area....[li]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill W
Nope, I was sitting down, under cover of my back porch with my remote in one hand and a [B] in the other.
Thanks Matt
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill W
No doubt...that must be your Nikonian cousin [:P]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Wertman
I need to clarify something. I have spent a good portion of the day looking at lightning photos and 70%of them have a purple sky so it seems to be pretty normal. Also having trees or something to present scale or a sense of nature is a good thing, but the best shots I have seen are near water/boats, or a park, city skyline etc. However there is nothing like walking out your back door and capturing the sky in action.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Wertman
Tom, No need to clarify, I understood exactly what you were saying and your absolutely correct. Though I am proud of these shots, They are not magazine quality with the water, desert or city scapes as a foreground. Though the actual capture of the lightning was one of the easiest photographic endeavors I have done; the real challenge is planning the shot. Those plans would have to include watching the weather, know the location and movementof the storm, knowing theattractive foregrounds/landscapes in your area and then positioning yourself at the right angle at the right timeto capture the lightning with an interesting foreground...and beeing lucky enough to have a strike with your shutter open. Thats what makes a great lightning shot.Just like most other photographic subjects, the planning, set up and willingness to stay the course is paramount. Thats what I think seperates the money makers from the hobbiests.
But for now, as an inexperienced hobbiest, I was pretty happy just to get ashot of a lightning strike. Being able to apply theory to practice was an accomplishment for me. Theory that I have primarily learned from the participants and administrators of this forum. Two years ago, I would have been out there trying to snap a shutter at the same time a strike hits. The fact that I took a semi educated approach to this effort and actually produced decent photos of lightning strikes is a credit to this forum and that I am proud of.
So, Don't be afraid to critique, nor apolgize for your critique. I personaly value them.
Thanks,
Bob
Bob,
This is a great forum and I have learned a lot from reading it. I don't chime in much unless I have something good to offer or a question. Such as posting my hummingbird shots to share with you another technique I find useful. Once you get the flash technique down I will be asking for specifics.
Thanks,
Tom