Lightning Photo

[Sol75]

After a couple of years working on my technique for photographing lighting at night, I have finally had it come to fruition!
Check this shot out! 
Will definitely have more in the future, now that I have gotten it figured out!
Photos of tornados etc are relatively easy due to thier persistance in the field of view, but man, lightning is a pain in the rear to get!

[PFactorDave]

Very cool.

Shooting on film or digital?

I've done a lot of lightning back in my film days.  I would set up on a tripod with a remote.  Load the camera with very slow film, maybe ISO 40 if I had any on hand.  Set the shutter to bulb, aperture to f22.  Point it in the direction of the storm and open the shutter.  Hold it open until you see lightning, then close it and advance the film.

Works best out in the country where there are no light sources but the storm.

Digital isn't quite as easy, but the basic ideas are the same.  You just can't hold the shutter open for extremely long exposures.  A few seconds at a time.  

Works for fireworks too.  July 4th isn't too far away, shoot some of your local fireworks display.  Fireworks are good to get the feel for long exposure because you get a lot of chances to experiement with your camera settings, and you pretty much know where to point the camera.  

[Sol75]

I'm shooting Digital... using a Nikon D70.. a bit older camera, but still a damn good DSLR IMO...
For my night lightning shots im setting it on a tripod, and using auto exposure, at ISO 400 releasing shutter via IR remote... seems to be working out pretty well, avg exposure times per shot out here are ~10-15 seconds, after which I trip the shutter again... eats up a lot of digital "film" but no biggie, since I have capacity for 3000+ shots on my memory card, even at max resolution....

Downside is sifting through all the shots!  I took over 120 shots last night to get that ONE perfect shot (IMO) that I have posted here...

[Drano]

Cool. I have a Canon S2IS that I run a little hack program on thru the SD card. It runs a motion detector script that uses the cam's focusing system. It works great for catching lightning. Pretty much all you have to do is point it at the section of sky the storm is in and it does the rest. Bolts are so bright just about any setting will catch get a decent exposure. The aperture setting is what's important. Smaller will yield a sharper bolt. Shutter speed of a couple of seconds will capture multiple strikes which is usually the case with lightning.

Haven't messed with it in a couple of seasons but--that's starting again isn't it? Now ya got me thinkin about it.

[Meatwad]

Whats that program called?

[ghi]

Very cool.

Shooting on film or digital?

I've done a lot of lightning back in my film days.  I would set up on a tripod with a remote.  Load the camera with very slow film, maybe ISO 40 if I had any on hand.  Set the shutter to bulb, aperture to f22.  Point it in the direction of the storm and open the shutter.  Hold it open until you see lightning, then close it and advance the film.

good shot Sol !
I captured good lightning shots with Canon T1i/Tokina 11-16mm Bulb or 30 sec. exposure/ manual settings,ISO 100.
Dave, did you get the new 5D3? i remember you posted your  5D2 . Does realy worth 1000$ more?

[PFactorDave]

good shot Sol !
I captured good lightning shots with Canon T1i/Tokina 11-16mm Bulb or 30 sec. exposure/ manual settings,ISO 100.
Dave, did you get the new 5D3? i remember you posted your  5D2 . Does realy worth 1000$ more?

No, still shooting a 5D2 and a 1D3.  Honestly, I try not to pay too much attention to whatever the latest and greatest camera body is.  If I get into it too much, I'll want one, even though the gear I already have is doing the job and making me money just fine.   

Usually, I'll start poking around the new stuff when I wear a shutter out or if I have some cash built up at the end of the year and my accountant thinks writing off some new gear would be an advantage on my taxes.  Honestly, I don't run nearly as many frames through the 5D2 as I do the 1D3, so I don't expect to wear out its first shutter for awhile yet.  I'll burn the first shutter out of the 1D3 this year probably, I'm already nearing the million image mark through it now.

[Slate]

   How many read the subject line thinking there was a P-38 pic? 

[Drano]

It's called CHDK (Camera Hack Developer's Kit). I found out about it in an ad in the back of either a Popular Mechanics or Science a few years ago. It runs on the memory card and is non resident of the camera so it won't void your warranty. You set it so that the camera boots to the card which gives it a "temporary" firmware to load. Essentially it unlocks the digic and digicII processors common to most Canon cameras so that even the lower end models can do most of the things a DSLR can. You'll get alternative menu upon alternative menu. Plus the ability to run scripts for all kinds of stuff. It's a lot of fun.

Check it out here:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK_for_Dummies

[ink]

   How many read the subject line thinking there was a P-38 pic? 

I did