ClikSimon
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wild-west
May 24, 2017
Absolutely stunning. Would you mind terribly to give your story behind this photo. Would be fantastic to hear. Not too many people would ever get in that situation.
ClikSimon
May 24, 2017
Hi, I was shooting the Kalahari Desert Speedweek event at Hakskeenpan in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. On this evening we watched this storm front approaching for some time, and as it developed into a spectacular electrical storm, I set up a tripod for some long exposure images. This one, with a team setting-up their camp, was a combination of luck, and being in the right place at the right time!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Hakskeenpan in the Northern Cape province of South Africa during the Kalahari Desert Speedweek.Time
After a day of shooting cars speeding along the seven km run, I watched this storm front moving in and knew we could be in for a treat. I grabbed a tripod from my tent and set up for 30 second exposures at ISO 320 and F/4.5. I shot for two hours between 18h30 and 20h30 and captured an incredible display. I probably got in excess of 40 usable lightning shots from this one electrical storm.Lighting
Obviously lighting is tricky in these situations....you're in pitch black until the strike. Trial & error will get you some incredible shots.Equipment
I used a Canon 5D Mk III, 28-300mm(at 60mm) f/3.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens, remote shutter release, and the tripod.Inspiration
I love capturing lightning. We get some spectacular electrical storms in our Summer months and I'll often jump into my Landy and head for a decent vantage point when the Thunderheads start building in the early evenings.Editing
I adjusted some levels in LightRoom, dropping highlights and lifting the shadows slightly to bring out the contrast in the clouds.In my camera bag
The 5DMkIII, 28-300mm, 15mm Fisheye, 16-35mm, 7DMkII, 100-400mm MkIIFeedback
Practice makes perfect- but be careful where you choose to set up when shooting storms, and use your common sense...a strike will ruin your day! ;-)