Lightning

[LA Landscapes]

There I was, working on a database project sometime after midnight last week. I kept hearing the rumbling of what I thought was distant thunder, but I live in L.A. so I doubted that's what it was. More likely it was my downstairs neighbors fighting again.

I got to a good stopping point and decided to go outside and take a look. Sure enough, an electrical storm was lighting up the sky with almost unthinkable regularity.

So I ran back inside, grabbed the new camera, the even newer lens, and the trusty tripod, then ran downstairs.

I live in a neighborhood full of apartment buildings, so visibility was hard to come by. I set up at the corner of an intersection, under a streetlamp. Lens flare. Moved around until I was out of the light. Finally got some bolts. Content that I'd gotten something -- anything -- worthwhile, I moved around my neighborhood a little, looking for better vantage points.

I found one about a half block away. More shots. Each one better than the next. Confident that I'd gotten some "nailed it" shots, I contemplated driving about 3 miles west to the bluffs overlooking the ocean. It was 1:30 a.m. I had no choice.

I sped down to the bluffs, parked, and ran to one of the few spots that wasn't occupied by fascinated onlookers.

Shooting over a dark ocean is hard. Auto-focus? Ha! Composition? The viewfinder was pitch black. Manual focus on distant lights, re-compose, take a 30-sec. shot, adjust composition. Repeat every 30 seconds.


http://www.lalandscapes.com/photos/354427906_oxGPf-X3.jpg


http://www.lalandscapes.com/photos/354427919_SULJs-X3.jpg


http://www.lalandscapes.com/photos/354427934_xUgNY-X3.jpg


http://www.lalandscapes.com/photos/354427953_XYBy2-X3.jpg


http://www.lalandscapes.com/photos/354427972_aZ9Et-X3-1.jpg

[dlplumer]

Fantastic :clap Great job. Perseverance sure paid off. Love them all :clap

[Awais Yaqub]

Wow wow wow and wow :clap

[schmoo]

Yeowsa! :huh What a set!!

Fantastic job. You got great exposures. wonderful comps and great color. What an opportunity to shoot :D :thumb

[kdog]

Great shots! Really like the compositions. Well worth the drive out to the beach I'd say. :thumb

[jeffmeyers]

Those ocean shots are great!

[dgrits]

Terrific captures!! Love the ones over the water... very well done!!

[CWSkopec]

Incredible shots!! :bow

That storm must have missed us down here in San Diego (or I just slept right through them), but truly great stuff!!

Now if only I could will the rain gods to produce some of that down here... :D

[greenpea]

Amazing shots! :bow

I can really appreciate the shots you got. We had a thunder storm come though Seattle this last weekend that I attempted to shoot in the wee hours of the morning. I used your "take a 30-sec. shot, adjust composition. Repeat every 30 seconds" approach, and as soon as my 30 second exposure was finished, FLASH, and I miss it. This went on for what seemed like forever. :rolleyes

In the end, no "nailed it" photos. :cry

[mushy]

I'm very jealous! I've been waiting for a good electrical storm a long time.
Those shots over the burbs are great considering the amount of ambient light. But the water shots I'd be ordering my prints by now for the wall!
Great shots and so nice and sharp.
Apart from 30sec exposures what camera and lens etc were you using?

[LA Landscapes]

Thank you guys so much for the comments. :thumb

Greenpea: I missed some GREAT bolts between shots. Luckily they were coming hard and fast.

Mushy: Nikon D700 with 24-70/2.8. Also using Mirror-Up mode, a remote cable, and the D700's "virtual horizon" feature to make sure I was level (since I couldn't see anything in the viewfinder).

[coscorrosa]

Fantastic captures! We very rarely get lightning here (Seattle) and I still don't have any shots of lightning (no attempts even!). If I came away with something half as good as these I'd be happy.