Thunderstorm - Greeley, Colorado

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MalcolmP

MalcolmP

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Fantastic images Malcolm!

I worked at the Kodak factory in Timnath for a while when I was living in Ft. Collins and remember some of those thunderstorms, crazy lightning and thunder out there!
 
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JAS said:
Spectacular shot! Lightning is fun and scary to shoot, but you nailed this one.
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You're right about the fun, Joe. Thanks to the expanse of the prairie and the undulating terrain as you move away from the Front Range, I'd estimate I was 20 miles +/- away on a ridge crest. Where I set up was very pleasant.
 
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Woodyg3 said:
Great shots! Man, we've had some nasty storms in CO lately, haven't we?
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I'm a Colorado rookie so I don't have a basis for comparison. Understand storms are tempered by the foothills here in Fort Collins as opposed to say Cheyenne or Greeley. These thunderheads don't hide very well. Where are you in CO?
 
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MalcolmP said:
I'm a Colorado rookie so I don't have a basis for comparison. Understand storms are tempered by the foothills here in Fort Collins as opposed to say Cheyenne or Greeley. These thunderheads don't hide very well. Where are you in CO?
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Just referring to all the lightning, hail and wind storms all around the state this year.
 
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Ralph said:
Awesome shots Malcolm
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Andrew Lamberson said:
Impressive
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John 2 said:
Great captures. I don't envy your opportunity to record them though. Looks fierce.
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Thanks Ralph, Andrew & John. Photographing these storms was not at all life threatening. The thunderheads start building miles high into the sky in the late afternoon and don’t seem to move very fast. This one appeared on radar to be 50 miles away. Drove about 30 miles through rolling prairie til I found a ridge line spot. I shoot all Manual and hope I get lucky.
 
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MalcolmP said:
Thanks Ralph, Andrew & John. Photographing these storms was not at all life threatening. The thunderheads start building miles high into the sky in the late afternoon and don’t seem to move very fast. This one appeared on radar to be 50 miles away. Drove about 30 miles through rolling prairie til I found a ridge line spot. I shoot all Manual and hope I get lucky.
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They came out great!
 
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MalcolmP said:
View attachment 44522View attachment 44523
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DRwyoming said:
Fantastic images Malcolm!

I worked at the Kodak factory in Timnath for a while when I was living in Ft. Collins and remember some of those thunderstorms, crazy lightning and thunder out there!
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Woodyg3 said:
Great shots! Man, we've had some nasty storms in CO lately, haven't we?
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Wow! Fantastic captures, Malcolm. How did you go about doing so? Do you have a camera lightning trigger? If so, which one. Whenever I try to get shots like this, I have to do long exposure shots and close them down after the lightning bolts occur. I haven't had the luck I want in my trying.

I grew up in Florida, where it's been known to have some dandy thunderstorms. However, I lived in Colorado Springs for several years, on the east side near Palmer Park, and that's where I experienced the most intense thunderstorms I've ever have. Fortunately, we lived only about 1/3rd of the way up the hill, so were spared the direct problems of all of the lightning. The people up near the top had a real sporting time of it when a storm rolled through. I miss that place!
 
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Whiskeyman said:
Wow! Fantastic captures, Malcolm. How did you go about doing so? Do you have a camera lightning trigger? If so, which one. Whenever I try to get shots like this, I have to do long exposure shots and close them down after the lightning bolts occur. I haven't had the luck I want in my trying.

I grew up in Florida, where it's been known to have some dandy thunderstorms. However, I lived in Colorado Springs for several years, on the east side near Palmer Park, and that's where I experienced the most intense thunderstorms I've ever have. Fortunately, we lived only about 1/3rd of the way up the hill, so were spared the direct problems of all of the lightning. The people up near the top had a real sporting time of it when a storm rolled through. I miss that place!
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Hello Wayne,
I shoot in Manual. I have a MIOPS Smart Trigger. In all fairness, I haven't spent enough time to get comfortable with it. And I do enjoy really working the variables manually. Open the lens up and adjust the ISO for 10-15 seconds. Use Bulb and count to 10 or so and adjust as necessary to have a reasonably exposed image without the lightning. Focus on any light near where you anticipate the lightning ( Don't assume infinity). Then just keep shooting . Once you have established a time, assure you keep it open for the full duration regardless when the lightning strike occurs within that time frame. If you're lucky, may get more than 1 strike.

Speaking of which, I lived in Tampa in the 1970's & recall an iconic Tampa skyline photo of numerous strikes on just about every tall structure.

Have some fun. I'll keep a look out for any you post.

In case you didn't catch my other recent lightning post, here is a link: Thunderhead on the Prairie.
 
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