Lightning porn

Patrick, Chicago, IL — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:25:01 GMT

Do you use a slow shutter or keep your shutter open? Having grown up in Florida, I'd often see photos with the shutters left open showing a sky filled with lightning. Pretty cool trick.

Lightning porn

Will Femia — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:52:36 GMT

Patrick, yes, I had it set to stay open for 5 seconds, which is pretty long. Most of the how-tos I've read have said that the only way to do it is to go with a long exposure and just keep snapping and as long as the storm is active enough you're bound to catch something.

The other side of the long exposure equation is to go with the lowest ISO you've got.

I'm also learning that just because there are bright flashes, that doesn't mean you'll get good bolts. If there's too much cloud cover, the most you get is a shot that looks like you used a giant flash on the whole scene. Last night I had to get my shots as the storm approached because once it hit there was too much rain/clouds to get a clear bolt.

Lightning porn

LV — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:08:00 GMT

Nice catches! The second one would look even better if you crop the building on the left out so it doesn't steal focus...might be easier to see the faint branches that are spiking off the bolt as well.

Lightning porn

Alex, Lawrence, KS — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:08:47 GMT

Thanks to google "streetmaps," I can easily find Will's house now. Of course, google also tells me that I'd need to drive 1231 miles to even get close...so your anonymity is safe for now. Until google releases its googleporter - the first web-based teleportation device (runs on the iPhone too).

Lightning porn

Dan, Cortland, NY — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:21:05 GMT

Recycling plastic into oil and gas:

http://environment.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12141&feedId=online-news_rss20

This must either be a hoax or crazy expensive. Otherwise, wouln't it be all over the news?

Lightning porn

Sean, NY — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:35:36 GMT

It's funny, I was wondering about the shots too but settled on the idea of you frantically turning from one area of the sky to another saying "Damn! Missed again!".

Lightning porn

Will Femia — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:34:12 GMT

Alex, I'm counting on crappy download bandwidth to protect me beyond the invention of Googleporter. By the time your file transfer is complete this part of Brooklyn will have been reclaimed by the rising sea.

Lightning porn

Will Femia — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:35:13 GMT

Sean, it's only sporting if you keep the camera in a holster on your hip and shoot with one hand.

Lightning porn

Will Femia — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:38:03 GMT

LV, I was so pleased with catching a couple real bolts that I didn't really think much about the overall composition. I did wrestle a little with the contrast in post-production. There's probably a way to really darken the sky and crisp up the bolt but I was only able to sharpen it a little. For that matter I should probably try to take the color out and then give the contrast a tweak. S'ok, next storm.

Lightning porn

Woods, Houston, Texas — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:52:30 GMT

Will,

You might consider picking up a strobe slave trigger. Attach it to your remote trigger(if your camera has one, many do) make your exposure settings and leave your camera in a fixed, framed composition location on a tripod. When the lightning flashes, it activates your camera to shoot automatically.

Lightning porn

Will Femia — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:16:27 GMT

Woods, thanks. Are you saying this thing can see the flash of lightning and take a picture of it before the lightning goes away? That would be seriously amazing. I'll check the B&H catalog and see what they have.

Lightning porn

Woods, Houston, Texas — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:49:22 GMT

Yes, it works. They are made to trigger the attached device when used with standard electronic strobes, which are very fast.