Lightning

My first attempt at photographing lightning. its a still off my video camcorder

Bazza

Good effort Bazza

Have you tried photographing lightning with your camera ?

By all accounts you need to stand in the middle of an open field with your tripod set to maximum height.

Joking aside - I've tried a few times and it's so difficult.

Cool catch! Never tried myself, so rarely see it!

xx

Not easy to catch lightning with a still camera but I think this is done in a different way.

I think Bazza means this is a still frame taken from some running video?

BC
Correct, its about the only way I could think of to actually capture the "fork" of the lightning. I did have others of "Sheet " lightning as well but it looks as if its taken in daylight ,not when its pitch dark.
Not having seen many, if any? photos on here taken by our members I thought its something different.

Could be a challange to see who can capture the best photo of the lightning forks!!!!!

The picture is a bit unusual as the "fork" is across the sky , not the normally sky to earth generally seen


Sheet lightning from the same storm last night

Bazza

I understood it was a still frame from a video - that's whay I was asking you'd ever tried it with a 'camera'.

It was a genuine question as I tried it a few years ago with very limited success and would love to try again. Somebody on here (can't recall who) did manage it but I can't for the life of me remember who it was. I remember the conversation about how to 'guess' where it was going to strike and pre focussing.

Phil

I was answering BC about how I captured it. Taking a picture with a DSLR must be about the toughest assignment one can take. You can't pre focus in the pitch black- its a hit or miss situation having the camera pointing in the right area of the sky-timing to the exact second when the flash occurs is another consideration. Thats apart from avoiding any rain.

Hence doing it via my camcorder, others who wish to try the same I would advise using movie mode if the DSLR is capable of it.

Bazza

Agree with BC - it's not easy capturing lightning with a camera... give it a shot next time Bazza!