Lightning

[caradoc]

The weather here around Phoenix has been interesting for the past couple of weeks.

Dust storms and lightning:

[Analogy]

Sweeeeeeet, how’d you take them? Just keep taking pictures until lighting shows up in the right place? The sky’s too bright in the first one (damn light pollution) but the second is perfect.

[caradoc]

Sweeeeeeet, how’d you take them? Just keep taking pictures until lighting shows up in the right place? The sky’s too bright in the first one (damn light pollution) but the second is perfect.

Yeah, just keep shooting ten-second exposures until you catch a good one.

The light’s bright in the first one because I took it in the middle of a dust storm. That’s city lights and lightning being reflected by the dust.

It took me about an hour after the fact to clean all of my gear up.

[QuickSilver]

The second is a great shot. Were you far enough away to avoid getting your equipment wet?
There is supposed to be some kind of gizmo that you can use to sense a lightning strike and trigger the camera in time to catch the shot but it is quite expensive.

[caradoc]

The second is a great shot. Were you far enough away to avoid getting your equipment wet?
There is supposed to be some kind of gizmo that you can use to sense a lightning strike and trigger the camera in time to catch the shot but it is quite expensive.

Yes, I was far enough away. The storm was passing from east to west due south of my location for those shots – the second shot is looking almost directly due south.

The gizmo you’re thinking of is a Lightning Trigger. I can imagine that one might be useful during daylight, sunrise, or sunset where you’re trying to capture the lightning and the ambient surroundings. At night, it’s just easier (and a lot cheaper) to set the aperture and shutter for ten second exposures of the city lights, and leave the camera aimed in the direction of the storm as you keep shooting.

[Klahanie]

I love the second shot. It’s been too long since I’ve seen any lightning. Only twice in 12 years! 🙁

[caradoc]

I love the second shot. It’s been too long since I’ve seen any lightning. Only twice in 12 years! 🙁

Do you get to see the Aurora Borealis up there?

I’ve *never* seen that.

[Klahanie]

Touche! Not often enough though due to all of the rain. The first time was so cool that the memory of it is still pretty strong. There was a full moon and wolves howling in the forest. There were about a half dozen cars worth of people out where I was and a lot of oohing and ahhing. I hope you get to see it sometime!

[QuickSilver]

I would love the opportunity to oooohhh and aaaaaahhhhhh over the aurora just once.

/jealousy walks away 🙁

[caradoc]

I went out for a beer last night with a couple of other local photographers, and another storm blew in.

[Klahanie]

I would love the opportunity to oooohhh and aaaaaahhhhhh over the aurora just once.

/jealousy walks away 🙁

You could always spend a week in Fairbanks in the dead of winter. 😉

another nice shot, caradoc!

[XenPix]

I would love the opportunity to oooohhh and aaaaaahhhhhh over the aurora just once.

/jealousy walks away 🙁

You could always spend a week in Fairbanks in the dead of winter. 😉

another nice shot, caradoc!

I wimped out of that, went for two weeks in spring instead. Still saw the aurora though, didn’t have a camera to do it justice. Must go back! It’s a very awesome sight.

[caradoc]

You could always spend a week in Fairbanks in the dead of winter. 😉

another nice shot, caradoc!

Thanks!

I almost spent a week in Anchorage in early January. She just wasn’t cute enough to make it worthwhile, though.

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