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Starburst and cloud burst!
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Starburst and cloud burst!



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This monsoon storm just popped up at my front door in Vegas, and I had to attempt the shots. Stopped down to F-22, the effect with the street lights is interest...
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This monsoon storm just popped up at my front door in Vegas, and I had to attempt the shots. Stopped down to F-22, the effect with the street lights is interesting.
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upload_dateSep, 2017

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davewx titter xelitka MillerMc photoABSTRACTION purdygirl HabibiPrasad +8
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martijndenbreejen NightFury Artekphotos Annie_Snow Phillysteeny215 justineescobarii brylejosephgenandoyopiar +7
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alief John-Robert Mel11 SamFWhite Lvilla713 eltonleroux johnrowlands +6
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kenoertel luciofernandezmoujan TresArt arthunterjane Juaner101 Swanevelder Mantia82 +5
Absolute Masterpiece
hendriklouwrens kisa-leva TheCrazyMailGuy photography-art Chinmayadash sallymasson asjakireewa +2
Magnificent Capture
TomasTar Vapour

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1 Comment |
IMIKEMEDIA Platinum
 
IMIKEMEDIA September 14, 2017
Wow
Dotsson
Dotsson September 15, 2017
LOL! Thanks. WOW summed up the intensity of this storm very well.

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#lightning #desert #monsoon #night shots #long exposure
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Behind The Lens

Location

Talk about serendipity! While sitting at home doing some research on long exposure techniques, I heard thunder outside. Living in the Las Vegas valley, this event doesn't happen too often. One moment I was sitting researching techniques, and the next moment I was practicing them.

Time

This was late in the evening; probably about 9pm. I had been out earlier in the daylight, hoping to get some chances for lightning captures, and the storms around earlier had dissipated.

Lighting

It was very dark outside, other than the light from the streetlights you see, until the lightning made its appearance. The first two test shots I took were okay, but they looked flat to me. I stepped down the aperture to F22, hoping to get the starburst effect in the streetlights, and waited during a 30 second exposure for the lightning to reappear. In that time I captures two separate lightning events, and the starburst effect from the street lights.

Equipment

The equipment used for this shot was a Canon 7D MKII and Canon 24-105 F4 L lens. I set up my tripod under the relative safety of my covered front porch. The settings were Bulb mode with manual focus to infinity and a remote trigger at 30 seconds release.

Inspiration

Capturing lightning is a dangerous and challenging event. I had not had much success earlier getting acceptable shots from greater distances, so this opportunity was too good to pass. The inspiration is probably the same for most photographer... capturing an event that will never be exactly the same again.

Editing

I did attempt to allow Lightroom to "enhance" this photo, but did not like the result. If I remember correctly, I did add a bit of noise reduction to the shadows, but not much.

In my camera bag

My go to camera for landscapes and general shooting is the Canon 5D MK IV with the 24-105 F4 L and /or Canon 24-70 F2.8L lens. If I am shooting wildlife or moving subjects, I LOVE the 7D MKII, often paired with a Canon 70-200 F2.8 IS L lens In my opinion, that combination simply cannot be beat!

Feedback

My advice to capture this sort of image is safety first. Lightning can and does kill. When done safely, obviously the longer you can have your shutter open, the better your chances of capturing the strikes. However, too much shutter time and the shot will be overexposed. At night, I usually start at 20 seconds and see how it looks The smaller the aperture, the better. Keep in mind the triangle of shutter speed, aperture and ISO and experiment to see what combination works best for you.

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