Light Show
This image was taken in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson. I used a flashlight to light the foreground.
This image was taken in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson. I used a flashlight to light the foreground.
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Jun, 2016Views
713
Likes
Awards
Winner in Lightning Galore Photo Challenge
Winner in Divine Wrath Photo Challenge
People's Choice in When lightning strikes Photo Challenge
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
MHKCapture
September 06, 2016
Congratulations on your Challenge win! you did a great job on this capture. Thank-you for joining my challenge and keep on shooting!
DavidADawson
September 27, 2016
Thanks for choosing my image as the winner of this challenge. I appreciate it, and everyone who likes it.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this about 15 miles South of Florence, Arizona. Almost every night I walk around in the desert taking pictures. I like this particular area because it offers a diverse variety of cacti, and good views of surrounding mountains.Time
I shot this image at 9:18pm, an hour and 36 minutes after sunset. It's one of my favorite times, because the twilight colors in the sky can still be captured along with stars. A storm moving in made conditions more exciting, so I stayed a little longer than usual that night.Lighting
I wanted the foreground to be lit so it would add depth to the image, so I used a LED flashlight to light it up. At ISO 400, and f/5.6, all it took was a quick flash during the 25 second exposure. Mother nature supplied all the additional lighting that was needed to light up the sky.Equipment
Nikon D810, Tokina 16-28mm lens @ 28mm, Velbon Neo Carmagne 640 tripod, Induro DMO1 ball head, Markins L-bracket.Inspiration
I had seen some terrific pictures of lighting in the desert. This being my first summer in Arizona, I was looking forward to monsoon season so I could try to capture some nice lightning images. I was lucky enough to be able to get this photo during the first good storm of the season.Editing
I shot the image as a RAW file, and being a long exposure at a relatively high ISO (400) the first step was to apply some noise reduction. Then I brightened the image a bit to bing out detail in the sky, including the stars that could be seen. I also darkened the foreground plants a bit because they were a bit too bright. A slight adjustment to the contrast and the image was complete.In my camera bag
I move around the desert quite a bit when I'm shooting. I carry a Tamrac Zoom 19 bag with a lens pouch attached to both sides. It's big enough to carry my camera with a Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 lens, or my Tokina 100mm f/2.8 lens, or my Nikon 85mm f/1.8 lens (probably my favorite) attached. The lens pouches can hold the two lenses that aren't attached. In the front zipper pouch of the bag I carry a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. Then I carry a Tamron 150-600mm lens in it's own Lowepro case slung across my shoulder. I always carry a Hurricane blower, and a lens cloth in my pocket.Feedback
For lightning shots when the sky is relatively dark, a sturdy tripod is a necessity. I suggest using "bulb" mode in a manual setting. A good ISO range is between 100 to 400, and a good aperture is f/4 to f/8. Use a remote shutter release to keep camera vibrations to a minimum. Keep the shutter open until there has been enough lightning to light up the scene, then release it. It takes a little practice to judge how much light is needed, and of course it depends on your settings, but it will become instinctive after a while. If you want to light the foreground, as I did in this image, a flashlight works great, but don't over do it. I have learned to place the light under my shirt to dim it down when I'm shooting at higher ISOs. That gives me time to paint the scene without making the foreground too bright.
