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A "bit" of an electrical storm. So I grabbed the trusty D70 and clicked away, had the camera braced against the window because the tripod was in the car, and there was NO way I was going to go outside to get it (sorry for the rain on the other side of the glass, couldn't help that).

10 second exposures using the remote - a "shotgun" approach, and ended up with this...



Not looking for any technical recognition for this but thought it interesting enough to post.
Glad I wasn't up on the hill.....

Blows my lightning shots out of the water, that's a lot of energy being released right there. How far do you figure the strike was from where you were shooting ?

Adam, not bad pic you caught there, and well it rained so hard here this morning woke me up at 5am, 39 yesterday and 14 today and pissing down. But this morning it was so quiet then it started oh well i get out of work today and as long as it clears by tomorrow i have moto X and Freestyle evet to attend to at a show 50ks away, last year it was rained out. Fingers X
Cheers good shot.

Well timed capture Adam. You would have felt the hair stand on the back of your neck!
cheers
marco

Alpha_7 wrote:Blows my lightning shots out of the water, that's a lot of energy being released right there. How far do you figure the strike was from where you were shooting ?

TOO close! Like you say, for that much energy. I was lucky not to drop the bloody camera.
Less than a kilometre for sure, allowing 5 seconds for a Km. Other than that, guessing. But the BANG came quick!

Wow Adam, amazing shot. Thanks for sharing.

marcotrov wrote:Well timed capture Adam. You would have felt the hair stand on the back of your neck!
cheers
marco

One reason I LOVE digital photography - I can afford to do this!

I took over a hundred photos, many were black. I was using 8 or 10 second exposure. After a while, I set the camera to B so I could open the shutter then close it after either (a) decent strike, or (b) long period of nothing happening - more than 30 seconds or so - so if a strike DID happen, the photo wouldn't be ruined by ambient light or the possibility the camera had moved - remember I was holding the camera against the window frame... And using the remote.

I couldn't afford to do this with film, and certainly wouldn't have been risking it hand held.

Another photo from last night, cropped to take out the window frame -

I really dont like you

we had thunder for most of the night and some nice big rumbles at 6.30 this morning....... and visible lightning = nothing. not a bloody thing! hence today will be a long day after being up for half the night.

Seriously well done, and I bet you heard the crack! I have been outside for a couple that have been really close (before I had my camera)... scares the **** of you!

Great capture. Bit too close for me.

We had plenty of lightning and thunder last night. Kept me awake but I was too fricken lazy to get out of bed. Don't have a tripod either.

Chris

Hey thanks for all the positive comments guys.

Talk about "a bit too close", when I was a kid, I can't remember exactly but I was in mid teens I think, was in the loungeroom where I grew up in Queensland, the phone line going to our house got struck. The lightning came out the phone plug, did a big loop in our lounge room and went into a power point. Blew the begesus out of the phone and power points and missed me by about a foot and a half, and my brother by 2 or 3 feet.
That is the most scared I've been in my life.
You want LOUD? That was LOUD!

What??

Don't use the phone during thunder storms.

blinkblink wrote:What??

Don't use the phone during thunder storms.

Exactly - that's why.
Lucky nobody was on the phone!

Adam
the same thing recently happened to my mother. It wrecked 3 phones, PC had to replace the sub board (burnt out) and was with out power for a day. Needles to say she had to change her under wear afterwards
Excellent capture, sure can be load when you are that close.
Doug