Lightning Strikes on Land
Jan, 2016Views
1762
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Cloudy Nights Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Featured
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Virtuoso
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
At the top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco, California, up some very steep steps.Time
Evening rolling into night, around 6-7pm in February.Lighting
I took several long exposures to come up with this shot, it was a waiting game to get the right cars streaking through and, luckily, one runner with a headlamp.Equipment
Canon 5D Mark III with discontinued 28-80mm lens (one of my faves), and a Dolica travel tripod (sturdy for a windy area like twin peaks).Inspiration
I had seen photos, similar to this, with a figure 8 in light trails on Instagram and really wanted to try my hand at it. I didn't have the high traffic for the figure 8 but got this cool lightening streak-like light trail instead.Editing
Of course :) I used photoshop to layer 2 photos together to get the light trails in all the places I wanted them, and I used Lightroom to put my editing touches on it.In my camera bag
My camera of course, and several lenses including the 28-80mm, a 50mm, 14mm fixed from Rokinon for wide and night shots, and the Dolica tripod. I usually also have a flash and a few other things like filters, just in case, but rarely use them.Feedback
Make sure your tripod is sturdy and steady. That's one of the most important things for long exposures. Shoot with intent, and focus on your subject, and don't lose patience until you get something you like. ISO low, shutter speed slow, and f-stop depends on how you like your light.
