yipDog
Follow7 Image stack of storm that rolled into Mesa,AZ 8-17-13
5D mk3 Zeiss 21mm ISO 200 f4.5 15 second exposures
7 Image stack of storm that rolled into Mesa,AZ 8-17-13
5D mk3 Zeiss 21mm ISO 200 f4.5 15 second exposures
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5D mk3 Zeiss 21mm ISO 200 f4.5 15 second exposures
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Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in The Night Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Dark And Bright Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in A Force Of Nature Photo Contest by Focal Press
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest
Exposure and more
Contest Finalist in PhotographyTalk Photo Contest Volume 1
Featured
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Choice
Jaw Dropping
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Exceptional Contrast
One Of A Kind
Genius
Great Find
Master Editing
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Categories
akhtarkhan
October 06, 2013
Spectacular lightning, amazing capture and fantastic edit.....splendid work. Congrats on the feature.
Coomanator
October 06, 2013
Amazing compilation, masterfully edited. Congratulations on the "Feature", very well deserved. I have added it to my favorites.
danielkerray
October 06, 2013
Have tried five times to get this shot and came home empty handed each time. Great capture!
JenSoa
October 10, 2013
That's an awesome idea! To put several images together to make one great one! Great job!!
ellenfoulds
October 10, 2013
Fantastic! this is my favorite subject in photography. Love chasing lightning too only don't have a place like this to capture it from. Congratulations!
nicko
October 11, 2013
Im jealous mate "Top Marks" for making the effort to bring us this beautiful image.
pixellimagery
October 11, 2013
Congrats on your feature, Robert, outstanding and amaaaaaazing image! :-)))
Ell
Ell
birdlover54
October 11, 2013
what a great capture! Nicely done, perfect balance of color, lighting. Congrats!
henrykngema
October 12, 2013
Amazing shot and an amazing story. Adventure and fun and then experience of what is happening out there. Photography will take you there!
Forfarlass
October 12, 2013
That's surreal. What a stunning piece of work. Congratulations on your well deserved feature.
daveoliveras
October 14, 2013
Wow... awesome job. Especially meaningful to me since you captured it on my birthday. ;)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The storm was over Mesa, AZ but I was a safe distance away near Ft McDowell, AZTime
This was between 10pm to midnightLighting
All Mother Nature! :)Equipment
5D mk3 Zeiss 21mm ISO 200 f4.5 15 second exposures 7 images stackedInspiration
Every monsoon season since 2011 I've chased storms in order to understand them and get over my childhood fear of them. I grew up in tornado alley and experienced a great many severe weather events including being in a car that was struck by lightning. Ever since then I have a lot of respect for its power but am addicted to its beauty!Editing
7 Image stack done in PhotoshopIn my camera bag
I dont travel light. I am a full time videographer/editor along with being a photographer. If I go out I make sure every situation can be dealt with... Canon 5D mk3, 1Dx, 70D, C100 with Ninja 2, 16-35 f4, 24-70 f2.8 II, 70-200 f2.8 II, 50 f1.4, 100 f2.8L, 300 f2.8 II, 500 f4 II, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 II, Samyang 14 T3.1, Zeiss 21 f2.8 18-55 stm, 55-250stm Sachtler and Manfrotto tripods, GoPro Hero 4's, Dji Inspire and Phantom 2, Movi M5 and lots of other support gear! It all fits in my van!Feedback
The hardest part of getting a photo like this is being in the right place at the right time. This requires studying weather patterns and scouting locations well in advance of the storms. Lots of patience is required along with the ability to move very quickly. These storms can come and go in minutes and that includes popping up right on top of you. Safety is the number one priority. As for the actual photography end of things, make sure you are in focus and turn off the AF. Setting the exposure can be tricky too. I try to capture as much ambient light as i can without blowing the lightning out. I choose to shoot timelapse-style meaning I end up with a lot of pics to sort through. I have tried triggers and they work pretty well. The lightning sometimes gets so frequent the triggers cant keep up. I use two cameras to cover a very wide area.