Strike 3
Mar, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Photographed at a Focus on Nature photography workshop at the Joe Wheeler Resort Lodge in the Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Alabama in February 2017. After our evening session, a storm developed across the First Creek of the Tennessee River. Every room has a balcony overlooking the lake, so I was protected from weather while taking pictures.Time
It was 10:30 pm, and I had taken photos all day on the workshop and thought I was ready for bed, but this beautiful storm developed across the lake. The marina was a beautiful foreground from my hotel room balcony.Lighting
I used a remote shutter and held it open for a few strikes of lightning and experimented with shorter and longer exposures, and also varied between f/11 and f/16. My favorite result was with the f/16 to have the juxtaposition of the straight lines of starbursts and boat masts against the jagged lightning bolts. I held the shutter open for up to 70 seconds, depending upon how often the lightning struck. The more lightning, the shorter the exposure.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM, Manfroto head and tripod, Vello Freewave Plus Remote Shutter Release, red headlamp to view camera settings and make adjustments.Inspiration
I love watching lightning. Growing up in the flat plains of Kansas we could sit on the porch and watch the storms roll in from far away. As a relatively new photographer, I'm grateful to my friend and master photographer Margaret. She gave me some tips needed to capture the beauty of the lightning.Editing
Since Mother Nature did not always cooperate with lightning on a regular basis, I had to purge many shots from that night. One of the classes from the day was "in camera composition." I tried to do just that in the shots. Image was cropped to remove the swimming pool, which was a distraction rather than point of interest that I thought it would be and processed in Lightroom. Cleaned up some noise in the water, and that was it!In my camera bag
I always pack my Canon 6D. It's my go to camera. My favorite lens is the Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM - it's so versatile. That's what I'll pack in a small bag. If space allows, I'll pack my ThinkTank Airport International V2.0 and have it in the car incase I come upon other subjects to shoot. It's full of my other lenses: Canon 70-200mm 1:2.8L IS USM, Canon Macro EF lens 100mm 1:2.8 USM, Rokinon 2.8/14mm(this is an inexpensive lens that is GREAT for Milky Way shots), Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3, Circular polarizer, ND filters, red headlamp, extra batteries, tripod tool, extra SD cards. Still a Girl Scout at heart, so usually have a little first aid kit, water, whistle, knife, bug spray, and granola bar, too.Feedback
First, try to learn how to use your camera in the dark. I practiced for 3 weeks in my closet before the Great American Eclipse. Once you have mastered that, find a place with shelter that safely gives you a view of a passing storm. If the storm is headed for you, it's best to step inside AWAY from the 3 legged lighting rod with your camera on top.
