Thunderstorm - Greeley, Colorado

[MalcolmP]

Wow super cool. Could make a nice big wall hanger. I love the way the lighting lights up the cloud but you can still see a few stars.

Thanks Morgan.

 

[jfredrick]

Well done! I use to know I guy that lived in New Mexico that took spectacular lighting landscapes is the desert . He had a lightning trigger setup and I recall that he shot in manual mode as well. Apparently there is a lot of lightning in the desert area.

 

[MikeA]

W O W super cool

 

[NorthernFocus]

These are so coo. TFS.

 

[MalcolmP]

Well done! I use to know I guy that lived in New Mexico that took spectacular lighting landscapes is the desert . He had a lightning trigger setup and I recall that he shot in manual mode as well. Apparently there is a lot of lightning in the desert area.

Hello John,
Thank you. I think it is about the scale of wide open spaces. In addition to these shots on the prairie in Colorado, hope you might like two other recent posts, one on the prairie in Wyoming and one on the desert in Arizona.

Thunderhead on the Prairie

Thunder in the Salt River Valley

 

[MalcolmP]

W O W super cool

These are so coo. TFS.

Thanks, Mike.

Thanks, Dan. Do you see Northern Lights where you are in Alaska?

 

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, Mike.

Thanks, Dan. Do you see Northern Lights where you are in Alaska?

Yes we do. Not so clearly from our house due to city lights. Also Anchorage is often cloudy. We lived outskirts of Fairbanks several years with very clear skies.

 

[Wink Jones]

Holy Heck fire! Those are incredible and I thank you for the tutorial on how you are working to get them. Very much appreciated.

 

[JAS]

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.

This parallels what I have done. When stuck on a beached housebout during a severe storm at Voyageurs National PArk, I set up on the back deck, out of the rain and would run 30 second time shots. Some caught lightning, others did not. I would usually wait inside after hitting the shutter. Lots of fun getting yelled at constantkly by family members to stay inside.
Love these shots.

 

[jadewolf]

Absolutely gorgeous shots, dang! The lightning illuminating the clouds is just spectacular!

I also grew up in Florida and thought I'd seen some weather in my time, but these towering systems are just off the charts! I'm going to have to get out that way to Colorado sometime to do some weather photography. Any suggestions on what season / time of year to capture the best storms there?

 

[Bill Schone]

Outstanding Malcolm!