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Lightning Storm
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Lightning Storm



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Wonderful lightning storm above my home last night.

Wonderful lightning storm above my home last night.
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upload_dateJul, 2013

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Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Legendary Award
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djalmaarmelin billmartin_2615 Tudorof davidjprosser ileanaandreagmezgavinoser mhinsbeeck NancyFlemingPhotography +45
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joshuasimonis sliceofheaven22 kmichaelekarrphotography anishabhisheklakra Ivan KentonL16 jean-pierregrosemans +17
Absolute Masterpiece
aliachterhof 7654_6118 vaguljaeva meghanalaperna Encapsulate Butterfly123 rejealyn +16
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eleonorasizzi guru7181 renejasonchristians royclimaco petronelavesa philyoung_0141 Bob_Minnie +14
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mariecordova williamkarlphoto swalker2015! rudral Rhi93 twigymil canadiansavage9 +13
Superior Skill
tpacelli AussieCurves brentmorris theresafriederichcampbell Bessiedays brettshaw
Jaw Dropping
toml721 roberttaylor Maesel Mcfyrman jijieparan-forsythe
All Star
chrishowley JScheff AlanJakarta
Magnificent Capture
alishaclarke PatricaK Mahika-Photography
Exceptional Contrast
Pointomega

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4 Comments |
jj07957
 
jj07957 July 29, 2013
Fab!! :D
thebestva Platinum
thebestva May 11, 2014
Thank you!
dbisme
 
dbisme March 12, 2014
AWESOME PHOTO!
thebestva Platinum
thebestva May 11, 2014
Thank you so much!
johnrsapp
 
johnrsapp February 11, 2018
How do you successfully capture lightning?
Bwolff
 
Bwolff July 07, 2018
This deserves more awards, nice job!

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken during a thunderstorm from the front porch of my home in Fairfield, PA. I'm really a fan of lightning - much to my mother's consternation! - and you can generally find me out braving the elements during storms!

Time

The thunderstorm hit about 6:30 in the evening and turned the summer evening to dark as night in just moments. If I wasn't such a huge fan of storms I would have been pretty frightened. No sooner had I set the camera up on the tripod and did the camera settings when BOOM! this lighting and deafening thunder clapped overhead. Talk about a lucky shot!

Lighting

I was learning about my camera settings at the time and discovered the bulb setting. I knew it would be difficult to get lightning shots so I opened the shutter and about a second later I was able to get this lightening shot.

Equipment

I used a good tripod, and a remote shutter setup so I wouldn't have camera shake. I didn't use flash and left the shutter on the bulb setting.

Inspiration

I love lightening shots, I love thunderstorms and I love photography, it seemed a natural fit.

Editing

My only post-processing consisted of contrast modification and noise removal. Other than these, this is what I was able to catch right out of the camera.

In my camera bag

I always pack my Nikon D3200, my remote shutter release, Nikon AF-s 18-55mm lens, Nikon AF-s 5-200mm lens, Sigma 70-300mm Macro/Zoom lens, Nikon SB-500 Speedlight, extra camera battery and charger, extra camera cards, cleaning kits, iPad Air for photo processing, sd-card reader for iPad Air, and a rain bag when I'm out in inclement weather. Plus notebook for taking notes about specific shots, AND mints ;-)

Feedback

Taking lightening shots can be dangerous, always make sure you're not under trees, that you're not the tallest thing around, and protect sensitive camera equipment from rain and dust. I took this shot from under my covered roof. Also lightening shots require patience and a tripod. Getting 'the shot' is a combination of luck and skill and can be very rewarding when it all works out. Most of all, have fun and enjoy the wonders of nature!

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