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Jul, 2017Views
1257
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Awards
People's Choice in The Storm Above Photo Contest
Winner in LIGHTENING Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Lighting and Rain Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
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Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is a cropped version of a shot taken on highway 380 east of Newcastle Texas. I had pulled over to get shots of a cool auto/truck/sign graveyard I found when the storm rolled in.Time
This shot was taken in the late afternoon on a summer day, around 5:00PM. It only looks dark due to the storm, the sun was still fairly high in the skyLighting
This is an HDR combo of three shots, but only one of them really captured the lightning bolt - the others helped bring out the colors in the surrounding landscape that the lightning washed out. I'm still learning what HDR can and can't do, but when it works it allows for some pretty cool shots!Equipment
For this shot I was just sitting on the tailgate of my truck holding the camera steady in my lap - I didn't mess with a tripod; I sat there for almost 20 minutes and took a couple hundred shots trying to capture a decent bolt, and I didn't want to have everything get wet when the downpour started! I used a Canon 70D and Tamron 16-300mm lens.Inspiration
I've always wanted to capture a decent lightning strike; when the storm started rolling in I switched gears, put everything else up, and focused on the storm.Editing
This is an HDR combined from 3 bracketed shots using Lightroom and Google NIC tools. I did enhance colors and remove some orange construction barrels from the shot that I thought were distracting, but the bolt itself is untouched.In my camera bag
I normally carry a Canon 70D with a Tamron 16/300mm mounted and a 5D Mk III with any number of lenses ranging from a 8mm diagonal fisheye to a Sigma 200-500mm telephoto, depending on what I'll be shooting. I'm usually looking for cool things at random while traveling, so I don't get to plan a lot of shots beforehand - I've found I spend the most time with various prime lenses and the 17-300mm Tamron though, the Tamron's range lets you capture almost anything on the fly and reduces the need for lens changes out in the openFeedback
I've learned a lot since I took this shot, these days I'd do things differently - I'd probably use an ND filter and tripod to allow as long an exposure as possible, in order to have a better chance of capturing a bolt. I'll take getting lucky on this shot though!
