Well the stars weren't shining here tonight, but we still got a pretty impressive light show. I've only ever tried to get lightening shots once before so I really didn't know what settings to use so I just mucked around and sorted he best out of 100 shots (God I love digital imaging).
These shots are looking south towards the north of Brisbane. I learnt a very important lesson tonight. No matter where you point your camera the lightening will 90% of the time flash just outside the field of view of your lense. It was good fun though.
I did get one shot I wish I could have used. It was so big and bright it just washed nearly everything out of the image. The image just looked like a background of pink with a couple of grey clouds floating in front of it
I am shaking in my boots just looking at those images. Awesome and beautiful! I had one of my photos shown on NBN TV last night of the stormfront that came through Newcastle on the 1 december.
Thanks guys. I'm sorta looking forward to the next storm. I think I've got the exposure settings worked out now so hopefully I won't have as many overexposed ones.
I tried a lot of manual exposure times from 5sec to 15sec using ISO 100, 200, 400. By the end I was using exposures of Iso200 or between 6 to 10 sec. There was a LOT of blanket lightening and I found these settings gave me good illumination of the clouds but still giving good contrast. If there was a definate bolt of lightening I would release the bulb immediately it was over.
I was only mounted on a very light tripod so I used the mirror lock hack at the same time.
btw the first shot is a crop and enlargement from waaaay in the distance and the focus wasn't quite right which is why it isn't nice and crisp. That was one of the other challenges, trying to focus. I ended up putting the camera in autofocus mode, focusing on the furtherest brightest light I could see and then switching to manual focus
I find ISO 50 works the best for strikes, but generally I'm playing with the setting all
the time. I also tend to find if you watch what they're doing you'll get a general idea
where the action is happening. then you can zoom in on them. When it hit here
yesterday I had just left to pick up Jake. When we got back I literally had to wad to
the house lol. Was going to try for some strike but they we mainly right overhead, and
I was a lil nervous sticking my head out there. When they moved away headin north
east towards the Gold Coast to many trees in the way : (((
Sill cleared up to be a fairly good night, managed image the quarter moon. but the
was alot of moisture in the air, probably too much for imaging.
I find ISO 50 works the best for strikes, but generally I'm playing with the setting all
the time.
Yeah I reacon you're right. I didn't try ISO50 as most of the strikes were a fair way away and not all that bright. Though the couple I took and whited (pinked actually) out were real crackers and even 50 might have been overwhelmed.
I guess its a case of making the judgement on "do I set to 50 or 100 and wait for the cracker?" or "do I set to 200 and get more shots and risk whiteout on the brighter ones?" At the moment I'm greedy and want as many as I can get. Once I calm down I'll move on to quality lightening bolts
I guess its a case of making the judgement on "do I set to 50 or 100 and wait for the cracker?" or "do I set to 200 and get more shots and risk whiteout on the brighter ones?" At the moment I'm greedy and want as many as I can get. Once I calm down I'll move on to quality lightening bolts
The higher the ISO the brighter the strike, the higher the ISO the grainier the image, the higher ISO the shorter the exposure time. The lower the ISO the strike will be more defined without the washout, the lower the ISO the less noise on the image so if you use a high enough resolution you can blow it up to poster size or a bit bigger, the lower the ISO the longer you can hold the shutter open for those storms that arnt quite that intense in frequency. I tend to keep the ISO low, adjust apature and exposure times to compensate, and use the lightning as the flash! As soon as the strike goes, you stop.
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