Lightning on Mill Rd
Jun, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This picture was taken on the backroads near Moscow, Idaho.Time
The storm had been brewing up all day long and started throwing down bolts right after getting off of work. I was really surprised by the duration of the storm, as I was able to get this shot around 9:30 that evening.Lighting
The lightning was definitely what I was going after that evening. But I knew I needed a bit more depth to the shot. Lighting is really cool by itself, but having that extra bit of traffic going by me helped light up the foreground for me, and add some extra light as visual interest.Equipment
For this image, I use my heavy Ravelli aluminum tripod, as the winds were 15-20mph. The camera used was my (at the time, less than a week old) Canon 7d Mark II, using a Rokinon 16mm prime, wide angle lens. I set the aperture (manually) to f/8 and set the focus to infinity. Having a nice LED flashlight in the bag is also handy, especially when using a manual focus lens at night. I also used a shutter release cable, set to lock, so I would continuously take pictures at the settings I was happy with in camera.Inspiration
I had a few things going for me with this picture. I had been itching to get a cool shot of lightning after chasing a storm about 3 weeks prior. Secondly, I really wanted to test out the ISO capabilities of the new camera, and third, why not go storm chasing! You never know what you might run into! As the storm moved further west, I followed, and was engulfed in a massive hail storm!Editing
I did do some minor post-processing in Adobe Photoshop RAW with each image... Yup, there are 3 separate strikes in this image! So after the initial post processing of just some simple sliders (ie, exposure, highlights, shadows, ect.) I then loaded the three images into a stack, and played with the opacity of each image till I got it where I liked it!In my camera bag
The typical equipment that I carry most often is my Canon 7d Mark II, my first frame I bought, a Canon t3, my Canon 50mm, Rokinon 16mm, and my Sigma 150-600. I typically find myself shooting a bunch of landscape shots, or a bunch of wildlife shots! So by having two frames ready to go, I can stop and get a wildlife shot, or a landscape shot by simply picking up one of the two cameras without having to spend time switching out lenses. My trusty Oben Carbon Fiber tripod is also with me a lot for pack trips, and the Ravelli when I know I'll be planted for a while.Feedback
My advice would be to get out and shoot. I know that sounds kinda "duh" , bu it's a lot of knowing your lenses, your light, your camera, and how long to expose for. And every situation is different. So take a few test shots and take a look at the image. Also, learning how to read your histogram can really help get yourself dialed in for a long exposure shot. Also, if you can get away from city lights, it will help eliminate light pollution. With that being said, I have seen absolutely amazing shots right in the city. So if you cant get out of an urban setting, just go for it. Just be aware of all aspects of the image. (dont have your garbage can in the foreground if you are taking a picture from the curb!) The image(s) here, are 30 second exposures at f/8, ISO 200, using a prime lens set to infinity. Cheers All!
