Lightning
Sep, 2013Views
2966
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Wicked Weather Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in After Dark Sedona PhotoFest Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Rule Of Thirds Photography Contest
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Jaw Dropping
Exceptional Contrast
Great Find
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KrakenWaker
April 07, 2014
Fantastic shot, the reflections and the lightning together in one shot is really excellent. Congrats on your award!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was take in Whitby Ontario on the shore of lake Ontario. My home town of Oshawa is just to the East.Time
This photo was taken around 1 in the morning. I switch back and forth between days and nights for my full time job so I am always up through the night. When I looked out over the lake from my window I could see the flashes and I was surprised I had enough time to pack my bag and drive there and still end up with several photos. This storm lasted for hours.Lighting
Lightning is the closest thing we have in our day to day life to Sci-Fiction. Everyone dismisses it as just some flashing and banging but when you think about the forces at work it is such a fantastic scientific event. I love lightning storms and routinely stop what ever I am doing to just go watch them.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 7D and EF16-35 F2.8. I had a sturdy tripod and a cheap remote shutter release so I could sit on a picnic table a few feet away and shoot.Inspiration
The images of others is what inspires me to create images for others. I think it used to be a friendly competition like "Oh ya? well look at this ..." and then eventually it stopped being a competition and it just became art. I love looking at and taking photos no matter who took them on what ever camera. The only competition now is to take better photos and evolve as a photographer and a person. This image shows the evolution of humanity ... on one hand you have natural lightning which has been around for as long as the earth and on the other hand you have man made electricity in the form of a lighthouse. So why a lighthouse? I've always found something sort of romantic about the idea of an object designed for the purposes of finding your way in the dark scary turbulence of the ocean. It reminds me of those people in life that help you find your way in a world that is sometimes dark and scary ...Editing
The image only has a little bit of post processing in it. It's been cropped slightly because there was a distracting sign attached to the pier on the right side. It's had some dodging and burning done. Some contrast has been added. Other than that, the photo is pretty natural.In my camera bag
This sort of depends on what I am going out for. If I have a purpose in mind it might change a bit. If I am going out in the woods to find some animals I will usually take a backpack with a wide lens wrapped in a scarf (Usually an EF16-35 F2.8) and then a backpack full of hiking supplies and a 5D Mk III with an EF70-200 F2.8 and sometimes an EF2x extender attached. I just walk through the woods with it hanging on a Black Rapid strap. If I am working out of my bag to do a photo shoot then I normally take a Domke F2 with an EF 50 F1.2 , EF24-105 F4, EF70-200 F2.8 + extender and then a 430 EX II. If I am doing night photography I would definitely pack a Samyang 14mm F2.8 manual lens (fantastically sharp and only around $300) and a Manfrotto 190 tripod (Heavy, but best on the market).Feedback
1. Think about the scene! At first sight, this is a photo of lightning. However, this is a photo of a light house on a lake in a 3rd line with the pier leading your eyes to lightning. This isn't by accident. I could have taken this photo with a 100mm and got just the lightning but I think it would have had a different effect yeah? Photography is an art form; frame for the shot you want and let luck happen. (I'm not pretending there wasn't a bit of luck here). 2. Practice! Take a lot of photos, and then take some more. Let people see them. Learn from your mistakes,you will improve I promise. 3. Put yourself out there! get out of your comfort zone and put yourself in front of more interesting things. 4. Take the shot! as Wayne Gretzky said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" so get out side and shoot what ever interests you! Don't be afraid! Don't put it off! There are a million interesting things out there ... After all, we are just a bunch of animals hurtling through space on a giant rock that is orbiting an enormous ball of burning gas :)
