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Lightning Strikes
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Lightning Strikes



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Electric storm over Livorno, Italy. Amazing night for large, bright flashes of lightning and the perfect silhouette of tall trees....
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Electric storm over Livorno, Italy. Amazing night for large, bright flashes of lightning and the perfect silhouette of tall trees.
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cameraCanon EOS 1000D

settings Aperture f/29 ISO 100 Shutter 30/1 Focal Length 28/1 

upload_dateOct, 2015

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717

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marybyrnes susancaranci_7557 kalrin arfsandy magdalenakiwak michaelcarr_0214 hseldomridge +18
Superb Composition
Gramfromdaup ClaireJ ReijaMakila tristangillespie Furrancess89 ViewMinch edgarrudyorozcogomez +15
Absolute Masterpiece
samiulshovon kunalgope Welsh1 tessaleroux jennyrosealesna amya.g USAFVet +13
Outstanding Creativity
karthikakrishnan Leeroyking Yaniahmckinney01 lo1012 colleensturtevant krissalonzo maryjoysanchezcavan +9
Peer Award
IvBush WildHeartphotos mika80 ElliotLambell thewildcat1 IanAnning MichaelAdeMelo +1
Magnificent Capture
doubleplay gregflynn FrancoisHorne
Love it
jrdcandy

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1 Comment |
susancaranci_7557
 
susancaranci_7557 Feb 19
great shot

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken from the front step of our cabin at Camp Darby in Italy. Camp Darby is a US Army Base that is located in the Province of Pisa, half way between Pisa and Livorno. I was on my way to Rome with the family and we stopped here to spend the night. Staying in the cabin, I was able to set up right under the awning and really take in the beauty of this electrical storm.

Time

I remember setting up my tripod to take this shot. It was after dinner on March 19, 2011. The kids were all settled in for the night and my husband and I were outside enjoying the cool weather. This electrical storm just rolled in, very little wind and no rain, it was the perfect night. I had never had the chance to capture lightning before so this was a first time experience for me. I set my camera to manual and took several different test shots to see what I liked best.

Lighting

Since this was my first attempt at lightning, I wasn't sure what all needed to be included in the picture as far as landscaped and buildings. When I was taking my test shots, I noticed the trees would light up great with every lightning strike. The lights from the cabins across from ours made this picture feel real to me.

Equipment

My camera was a Canon EOS 1000D. It was the European model similar to the Rebel. For the lens I used a Canon 18-35mm and had the focal length set at 28mm. My shutter speed was set at 30 second intervals with a low ISO of 100. Many shots turned out amazing but this was my all time favorite.

Inspiration

Taking pictures of lightning had always been a dream of mine. I never owned a good enough camera until I moved to Italy, where my photography really started to bloom. After getting the first lightning bold picture my heart nearly jumped out of my chest and I stayed out there for hours just taking shot after shot. Even to this day lightning is by far my most exciting thing to take pictures of.

Editing

I did no post-processing to this photo.

In my camera bag

My camera bag is always full of my most used equipment. I now have a Canon EOS 60D that I use as my number one camera. My go to lens is the EFS Canon 18-135mm. I'm never far away from this lens. I also carry my Canon 18-55mm lens in case I feel the 135 might be too big or bulky to walk around. The new lens in my bag is the Canon Ultrasonic Macro lens EF 180mm 1:3.5L. I can't tell you enough how much I love this lens. It's been great for all my flower photos and anything else I want to get up close and personal with. Along with the camera and lenses, I carry a tripod, remote sensor, Sunpak DigiFlash 3000 external flash, business cards, notebook and pen, Rocketfish UV filters for each lens, battery charger and I never leave home without the bug spray.

Feedback

Lightning photography is one of the hardest, most time consuming things to take pictures of. No matter how many times I set up the camera it takes several missed attempts to get it positioned right because the lightning is never striking in the exact spot you want it to. I've even had multiple cameras set up at different angles to capture a strike that may have missed one camera or the other. Patience is the best thing to have when sitting out waiting for the perfect shot. You also need to make sure your camera and yourself are safe. Do not put yourself in a dangerous situation just to capture the perfect image. The most rewarding way to capture lightning shots for me is to set the camera to manual with the shutter wide open and a low ISO. Hook up the remote shutter release and the tripod, pull up a chair and enjoy the light show.

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