Wonderful lightning storm above my home last night.
Wonderful lightning storm above my home last night.
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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!