Mann Chapel Stormy Night
May, 2018Views
998
Likes
Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Top Shot Award
Community Choice Award
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
Mann Chapel is an extremely old church located between Danville, Illinois and Rossville, Illinois. It was erected in 1857 and is the oldest church in Vermilion County. The church is surrounded by a cemetery which contains old and new graves. Local legends suggest that the grounds are haunted.Time
This shot was taken late one night during one of the many electrical storms we get in the early spring. I set the tripod up in my car to avoid being out in the elements.Lighting
Lighting was difficult since it was night time. The lighting in the picture was a result of the lightning. It took several attempts to get a picture that I thought was presentable.Equipment
I used my Sony A300 with a Sony 24-70MM lens. I used a tripod that was set up in the passenger seat of the car in conjunction with a wireless remote shutter release.Inspiration
I love taking all types of pictures. I consider myself to be a well rounded amateur. Lately I have been wanting to do some night photography and decided that this old church would make for a great subject. The fact that we were having a lightning storm made attempting this photo even more tempting. I wanted to capture the church and some of the spookiness that is associated with the local stories of the grounds being haunted. I was hoping to capture more of the tombstones in the background, but I am very satisfied with the overall result.Editing
First, I used a RAW editing program to enhance the photo and convert it to Jpeg. Once the conversion was done, I used Photoshop to enhance the lightning.In my camera bag
There is a lot of equipment that I carry with me when I am going to be out taking pictures for the day. Of course, I have my camera with me and I always make sure to have two fully charged batteries. There is nothing more frustrating than being on a photo outing and running out of power. I always have at least four lenses with me at all times. I always have my Sony 24-70MM lens, Sony 85MM prime lens, Tamron 90MM marco lens, and Tamron 70-300MM macro lens. I also keep several filters with me; including but not limited to, polarizing, neutral density, and sunlight filters. I do have lens hoods for each of my lenses and I always have my remote shutter release system on hand. Although it does not fit in my bag, I always have my tripod with me.Feedback
My advice for capturing this type of photograph is first and foremost, stay safe. Storms can be dangerous, so it is best be out of the elements when attempting this type of photography. Next, I would say that this is trial and error. Try different camera settings and be patient. I took over 50 shots just to get this one picture. A tripod with some type of remote shutter release is vital. Using both of these types of equipment helps to insure clear pictures that are free of blur caused by camera shake. I would also suggest using auto focus if possible. If auto focus is not an option, take several test shots to perfect your manual focus. Once you have your focusing locked, you can now work with exposure by adjusting aperture or shutter speed. Other than that, just have fun and see what type of image you can create.
