EarthScientist
FollowCaptured my best photo during a camping-climbing trip to City of Rocks National Reserve a few weeks ago during the supermoon. With a break in the storms, I was...
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Captured my best photo during a camping-climbing trip to City of Rocks National Reserve a few weeks ago during the supermoon. With a break in the storms, I was able to set the tripod out and began snapping multiple frames per second in hopes of catching lightning. I think this was worth the time.
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TheJacobBingham
October 28, 2017
Awesome work! the exposure is spot on! it makes me feel like the storm is surrounding me.
EarthScientist
January 12, 2018
Thanks guys, not sure why my individual responses haven't posted over the last two years, but it is all appreciated!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was captured from my campsite in the City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho.Time
After one of several storm pulses that ripped through the area, this was taken during the last major cycle shortly after sundown.Lighting
I feel as if I was extremely lucky with this one, the August supermoon was hidden behind the clouds most of the time, but a slight break with the last storm pushing across let me focus on the distant peak. I didn't have a flash setup, and the lightning lit the entire sky just as the clouds were pushing across before blocking the moon shortly after.Equipment
Camera: Olympus Pen E-PL5 w/ Zuiko 14-42mm ED ii R lens Tripod: name unknown, but it is similar to a surveyor's version. I had continuous shutter set and just held the trigger in hopes of catching a flash.Inspiration
I honestly wasn't even going to try to take any potential lightning shots as I have had zero luck in past attempts. My friend encouraged me to get the camera out and see if I could press my luck, and I am glad I did. This is one of my favorite photos ever, and I attribute it all to friends and luck.Editing
The only post processing I did was to crop the image into the frame, zero color corrections or exposure adjustments of any kind. All natural.In my camera bag
I usually just have a few basics, the camera, one wide angle lens attachment, one 40-150mm lens, and my standard 14-42mm. I have a shutter cable that works with my smartphone to avoid shaking the camera/tripod, and I rely heavily on luck...sort of.Feedback
I honestly think that patience is key with any lightning shot, as I stated previously, my earlier attempts yielded nothing and I was hesitant to even try again. Keeping the foreground slightly out of focus helped me get the clouds and lightning in focus using the manual focus ring, avoid using autofocus because you won't have enough time to snap the image before its gone. Most important, luck, and lots of it.