[rawr]

the hot weather we have had over the past two weeks has really screwed up my sleep patterns.

I know that feel. It's been about 20 degrees C overnight and 75% humidity here a lot recently.

You got a great result, but I'm curious why you went f4. I would have defaulted to f8 for a shot like that.

[Digitalis]

You got a great result, but I'm curious why you went f4. I would have defaulted to f8 for a shot like that.

The reason I went for f/4 is due to the fact that the lightning would have been too dim at that aperture, and the artificial lighting would have dominated in this scene*. The further away the lightning storm is: the wider the aperture you have to use to capture the light from the bolts. I estimated the electrically active cell of the storm to be about 10-20km away, so that meant apertures of f/4 to f/2 would be needed**. From a certain perspective this image can be seen as a finely tuned balance between ambient light and flash (lightning) which as a studio photographer is the kind of thing I do on a regular basis. Though the colour spectra from the light sources in this image are polar opposites, so getting this image to look pleasing is no small feat.

*the shutter speed of 30s was also chosen as the most effective exposure interval - anything longer than that, and I would have had problems with balancing ambient light levels.

**if you are so close to a thunderstorm that you are using apertures of f/22 and smaller, you are running the risk of being reduced to a smouldering crater. I hope you have your affairs in order, It might also pay to have a video camera trained on you so your descendants can make money off the YouTube ad revenues.

[kev.pride]

Very nice image. I had an afternoon nap and missed the lot.

[Bruce Clark]

Nice capture. The last time I tried that, I drove for several miles to get to the shore only to find the storm fizzled out. Still I did get some nice sunset/dusk shots That's life

[Digitalis]

The last time I tried that, I drove for several miles to get to the shore only to find the storm fizzled out.

Good thing I'm a local in the Grange area of Adelaide - the beach is a short walk away.

[drypenn]

Great capture! As it is, it is wonderful and worth a frame.

I'm just curious how this would have looked had you used a DA21, or a DA15, (since you've used f/4 anyway).

Maybe a bit less sharper? But better starbursts? or more defined contrast?

[Digitalis]

The starbursts probably would have been much better with either DA lens, and the flare problem would have been practically non-existent with the DA15. But no point in complaining, the Sigma lens was the best choice: neither DA lens can compete with it regarding sharpness and contrast at f/4.

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Last edited by Digitalis; 01-24-2016 at 04:06 AM.

[Rob_Lamont]

I have had a great success (just one) by using bulb mode and a remote shutter release. As soon as the lightning flashed i would close the shutter. Unfortunately a hard drive failure meant i lost it and a few others. I didn't tell my wife who would harp about backing up..... lesson learned the hard way.

[JayR]

Nice. Probably the beach I visit more than any other.

[Logics]

cool pic!

like the color... maybe crop it a bit harder, to emphasize the lightning?

I would not crop tighter. I think the negative space and dark clouds not only help the lightening stand out but shows the extent of the storm (which would be missed on a tighter crop).

[ranmar850]

The reason I went for f/4 is due to the fact that the lightning would have been too dim at that aperture, and the artificial lighting would have dominated in this scene*. The further away the lightning storm is: the wider the aperture you have to use to capture the light from the bolts. I estimated the electrically active cell of the storm to be about 10-20km away, so that meant apertures of f/4 to f/2 would be needed**. From a certain perspective this image can be seen as a finely tuned balance between ambient light and flash (lightning) which as a studio photographer is the kind of thing I do on a regular basis. Though the colour spectra from the light sources in this image are polar opposites, so getting this image to look pleasing is no small feat.

*the shutter speed of 30s was also chosen as the most effective exposure interval - anything longer than that, and I would have had problems with balancing ambient light levels.

**if you are so close to a thunderstorm that you are using apertures of f/22 and smaller, you are running the risk of being reduced to a smouldering crater. I hope you have your affairs in order, It might also pay to have a video camera trained on you so your descendants can make money off the YouTube ad revenues.

I've done a lot with lightning, some of it is in my gallery, link at the bottom of my post. A lot of it was done in jpeg, so not a lot of chance of correction, only started using RAW exclusively for past 2 years. My best results (at night), are with ISO 200, f5.6 , 30 sec exposure. Only issue with 30 sec exposure is cloud blurring. Trying to capture individual strikes by reaction, as an earlier poster had, is extremely diificult. Compose, set focus/aperture and exposure, and just keep opening that shutter with the IR remote. if you do need to go the a smaller aperture, yes, it is probably getting too close I've certainly been in that position, where you start getting blown out and have to stop down the aperture. This shot was the last one I got at the minesite where I previously worked--then I ran for shelter. It was out to f13 @ 20 secs for that one.

[_Ben]

Great shot. I find the sand a bit distracting. A lower angle and closer to the water may have made a better composition perhaps. I imagine that this kind of shot is kind of hard to predict. Awesome none the less.

[DoubtingThomas]

I fixed the shutter at 30s - at f/4 this was the longest exposure I could use without blowing the highlights too badly. It was very difficult to balance the colors in post with the lightning, I'm a neurotic colour correction nut, I tried dozens of techniques but in the end I just went with the simple approach of correcting for the fluorescent lights on the jetty and let the lightning go wherever it wanted to. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 was set to 21mm, and it turned out this lens has a bit of a flare issue with the lights on the jetty. Fortunately the flare spots were pretty easy to clone out without leaving any obvious traces of editing in the repeating pattern of waves on the beach.

I love this shot ! Nice !

[GodsPetMonkey]

if you are so close to a thunderstorm that you are using apertures of f/22 and smaller, you are running the risk of being reduced to a smouldering crater. I hope you have your affairs in order, It might also pay to have a video camera trained on you so your descendants can make money off the YouTube ad revenues.

When it comes to lightning, getting close to the action can really get your heart pounding...



That one came with a mighty thunderclap. Wish I had taken a picture of the remains of the tree the next day!

But with great risk comes great reward - just a few minutes later:



Gotta live life on the edge!