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06/26/2005 02:30:55 AM · #1 |
Hi there,
There was a huge thunderstrom last night. That made me wonder how to capture lightning bolts correctly.Except if you're really lucky, you can't just wait for a bolt to come and shoot it on the fly.
My guess would be to set the camera to manual mode with bulb for shutter speed and a real small aperture, like f/22 or something. Of course, lowest ISO possible. Then wait and take the picture whenever the bolt strikes, hopping to have got it. The aperture setting would be the most tricky part I guess, as well as the noise generated by the long exposure.
What do you guys think ? |
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06/26/2005 02:37:38 AM · #2 |
I have done it one of two ways.... 1. If it is truly an electrical storm and late dark light set a moderate aperture and set to continous mode in D70 and take 30 pictures or so in succession.
Or a long exposure with a moderately small aperture to eliminate the light aspect. This is most efficient. But sometimes, unless very dark, hard to naturally expose properly. This really comes down to trial and error.
Message edited by author 2005-06-26 13:46:07.
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06/26/2005 02:40:25 AM · #3 |
I think the trickiest part would be to guess when the bolt is going to strike. But you're right, bulb would be best so you could shut the shutter after the bolt struck, if you wanted to. I've never done any sort of photography like this before, but it would be interesting to try.
>>runs and hides for a more experienced photographer to answer.
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06/26/2005 03:09:55 AM · #4 |
Yeah, you're right, it's pretty tricky to guess where it's gonna strike.
Yet, with a wide lens, like 18mm, it would be less hard but a crop will be requiered so that means less details on the bolt.
I gave it a try last night but no luck. I was so worried about noise that wanted to keep the exposure quite short. Of course, a great bold stoke in front of my eyes right between two shots :( Noise reduction on the D70 really take too much time but well, it was a nice experience. I guess I could do the noise reduction after the shot, in photoshop but I've heard that Nikon's onboard reduction is more efficient since it uses a dark frame to substract the noise.
Anyway, I'll definetly try that again :)
Thanks for your answers :) |
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06/26/2005 07:56:24 AM · #5 |
| This site has info that works for me. //www.blackrabbit.com/lightnng.htm |
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06/26/2005 10:38:44 AM · #6 |
Their were several scattered thunderstorms here last night. I tired earlier in the daylight and I was just not fast enough. I managed to capture one out of hundred or so.
Me and singsunshine went to our local lake and they drifted right past without getting us wet. Their were 4 or 5 separate storms. All about 8-10 miles away. Some lit up the clouds and backlit them while others just arched straight to the ground.
As it started to get darker and darker (it was 8:PM and then about 9:00 pm when it was fairly dark). I started setting the shutter speed slower and slower. I went to about 6.5" and started capturing nice ones. I had my iso set to 200 and aperture like 5.6. I started leaving my shutter open longer and longer. I must have shot 250 shots about 50-60 with large bolts.
When we got home though we noticed they had horrible noise. And their were white spots like dust on the images. The dust would be in the same spot shot after shot. The only thing I can conclude is I had my shutter speed to long and it was capturing dust inside my 2 piece wide angle lens. It was a learning experience and hopefully one I can improve upon. Here are some of the shots.
  
I doubt I will be able to save any of the shots. Hopefully I will get another opportunity. I did not alter the imgages yet other then resizing. Noise ninja did not help when I did try it.
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06/26/2005 10:49:19 AM · #7 |
 
both 30 seconds, pretty wide apertures, ISO 100. it was a very active storm, as most of my shots taken had lightning in them.
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06/26/2005 11:05:56 AM · #8 |
heres my best lighting shot, 1.3 second exposure, it was still day time outside
Message edited by author 2005-06-26 11:06:27.
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06/26/2005 11:32:18 AM · #9 |
I was one of the ones who entered a lightning shot in the last challenge (darkness), though I cant tell you a good way of doing it, only what I did and the outcome. There was an active storm with lots of bolts, I laid down staring at the clouds, and clicking when I seen a bolt. I did notice that there was sometimes a preceding smaller bolt before a big one that did help a little, but the noise was a problem.
2 s, f/2.6, 400, if this looks odd, please post a reply, because it was certainly a learning experience for me. I was also not using a tripod, rather using this overpoured concrete embankment atop of a hill with a small rock propping the front of the camera up.
Message edited by author 2005-06-26 11:34:43. |
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06/26/2005 11:36:09 AM · #10 |
This is the best lightning shot I have ever done
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06/26/2005 11:44:21 AM · #11 |
I thought this was good until I saw Fetor's 'Tristrike':)
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06/26/2005 12:07:15 PM · #12 |
These two were taken during the same storm with different settings.
 
Tripod and timer used, about 100 shots taken and these were the only 2 that came out. |
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06/26/2005 12:08:56 PM · #13 |
Ok guys, I still have some work to do to archieve such results :)
Congrats to all of you, really nice captures :)
Thanks for answering ! |
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06/26/2005 12:51:29 PM · #14 |
ISO 100, F/22, 30 secs.
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06/26/2005 01:24:37 PM · #15 |
In general shoot at night, use a small aperture, f/8.0 - f/16, bulb or timed exposure of several minutes, tripod mount, and keep taking exposures until you get a good one! Last evening I managed a decent shot on the 14th exposure. It helps to have a shelter to keep the rain from spotting your lens.
It is certainly possible to get good shots with short exposures but the odds are not as good. Using a small aperture reduces the brightness of foreground objects thus accenting the brightness of the lightning.
Daylight lightning shots are more challenging because you must use shorter exposures.
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06/26/2005 03:08:48 PM · #16 |
| I guess you have to have one of those fancy cameras to be able to manually adjust the apertures that low, I haven't found a way with mine to do so yet. I also havent ever got a shutter speed longer than 4 seconds. If anybody hears me, and has ideas. Holla. |
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06/26/2005 03:29:16 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by sacredspirit:
I guess you have to have one of those fancy cameras to be able to manually adjust the apertures that low, I haven't found a way with mine to do so yet. I also havent ever got a shutter speed longer than 4 seconds. If anybody hears me, and has ideas. Holla. |
According to specs your camera's longest exposure is 4 seconds at a narrowest aperature of 4.8. That is the most you have to work with. What that means is you have to take a lot more individual frames to have a reasonable probabilty of capturing a lightning bolt, but it can be done.
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06/26/2005 03:32:12 PM · #18 |
i think i had the shutter speed on 3 to 5 seconds or something. huge storm that night.. really scary to be on the prairies in a tent!
lightning
lightning2 |
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06/26/2005 03:56:11 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by ElGordo:
In general shoot at night, use a small aperture, f/8.0 - f/16, bulb or timed exposure of several minutes, tripod mount, and keep taking exposures until you get a good one! Last evening I managed a decent shot on the 14th exposure. It helps to have a shelter to keep the rain from spotting your lens.
It is certainly possible to get good shots with short exposures but the odds are not as good. Using a small aperture reduces the brightness of foreground objects thus accenting the brightness of the lightning.
Daylight lightning shots are more challenging because you must use shorter exposures. |
I would second what Gordon has already said. In addition I would emphasize this for night photography:
1-Set your tripod-mounted camera to the longest possible exposure time that it is capable up to the point that the sky starts to get bright. Set it to the smallest aperature (largest f/stop number possible) (My camera's best is limited to just 30 seconds at f/8 so I can never approach the longest time that the sky would still remain dark)
2-Get as close as you can to the lightning of an active storm yet outside the reach of it's rain to increase your probablity of capturing good clear lightning that is not washed out because of obscuring rain and that is large enough in the frame to show good detail. Usually that is close enough to be really uncomfortable. :)
3-Observe the storm and take note of it's motion and where the strikes are occuring and setup your camera to point in that direction.
4-Don't make your setting so wide-angled as to make the bolts you do capture small in the frame. It is better to occasionally capture a really nice one than to get a lot of small, distant looking ones.
5-Take image after image continuously to increase your probabilty of good captures.
6-Though this is not legal for DPC submissions don't be bashful about making composites of your lightning images for more dramatic images.
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06/26/2005 04:02:12 PM · #20 |
Great advice except for #6, of course. LOL
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06/26/2005 05:38:03 PM · #21 |
a lot of good avise here, and i will just add my 2 cents.
I use an f5.6 to f8 for short exposures ( 30 seconds or less) for longer exposures over 30 seconds I will go to an f11 or f20, all depending on my location, like a brightly light city area. If im in a real dark remote area I keep it between f5.6 and f11.
Canon timer remote, bulb mode, ISO 200 (sometimes 400) I use my 24-70mm Tamron lens @ 24mm.
I will keep an eye on the direction of the storm and try to predict its path and just keep snapping away until I get several good shots.
lightning 1
lightning 2
Lightning 3
Lightning 4
My Personal Favorite
James |
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06/26/2005 06:28:09 PM · #22 |
I opened my shutter for 16 seconds and captured this...
rated well in a challenge once upon a time... |
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06/26/2005 06:28:42 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by crazycrystal1977:
I opened my shutter for 16 seconds and captured this...
rated well in a challenge once upon a time... |
strange how theres pink in there
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06/26/2005 06:34:43 PM · #24 |
there was a lot of purple and pink that night...very nice for lightning..
I love this picture....but everybody's opinion is different.
However, Fetor, your picture seems to be pink as well.
Message edited by author 2005-06-26 18:35:51. |
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06/26/2005 07:33:48 PM · #25 |
Hey Tom, Did you have a star filter on with this shot? Sweet effect with the bright bolt...
Originally posted by TomFoolery:
This is the best lightning shot I have ever done
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