lightning Pics

[straittactical]

I took a couple pics of lightning last night and well they did not turn out the best. Look like the ligthning is way over exposed and out of focus. I shot these with these setting.
apature: F9
shutterspeed: 30 sec
ISO: 100
I used a wireless remote and tripod
VR was off
autofocus was off.

If you got any suggestions on making my photos turn out better let me know. I would be able to figure it out but it will take me a while to do the trial and error method. I dont really want to decrease my shutterspeed. because that lowers my chances of catching the shot. so I think next time i am going to set me apature at F11 or smaller.
here are my pics.

 

[Shadow]

Thats awesome ! Thanks for sharing

 

[Naptown]

very cool, none the less.

 

[iamaclone45]

Looks good other then terribly out of focus.

With the camera set on manual focus, focus on the most distant object you can see. A good thing to focus on is a distant light. (Light pole, house light, etc). Use infinity.

You can try to decrease your shutter speed to increase the sharpness and then adjusting your aperature accordingly.

It appears like you have all the correct equipment. With a bit of practice and trial and error you should be able to get some stunning pictures.

 

[straittactical]

Looks good other then terribly out of focus.

With the camera set on manual focus, focus on the most distant object you can see. A good thing to focus on is a distant light. (Light pole, house light, etc)

It appears like you have all the correct equipment. With a bit of practice and trial and error you should be able to get some stunning pictures.

good point on focusing on a distant house light. It was pitch dark out and i could not focus on anything so i was just guessing on that. I didnt even think about the light across the field. this was my first time trying to capture lightning so there was a lot going threw my head. and seems you forget the little things.

thanks for the advice.

 

[A_Brit_In_Indy]

Great pictures, considering the lightning doesn't sit there and wait for you to say "cheese" well done, remember practice makes perfect

 

[Wild Deuce]

If you don't mind, tell us about the camera and lens (ISO range, CMOS/CCD, zoom/fixed, focal length, etc.).

 

[nipprdog]

If you don't mind, tell us about the camera and lens (ISO range, CMOS/CCD, zoom/fixed, focal length, etc.).

Download Opanda(free);

 

[Wild Deuce]

Download Opanda(free);

Just what I need, another program on the computer to make it crash. Jedi, will get sick of me coming to him for repairs.

Anyway, there's still no information on the lens.

 

[straittactical]

I used an 18-55mm lens the focal length was at 27. attached to a nikon D5100
it has a 16.2 MP C-MOS sensor. ISO range is 100-6400

let me know if this helps

 

[PGRChaplain]

They look pretty cool to me, lightning is always awesome

 

[kjf40]

Great pics...always like to see these kind of pics.


Thanks

 

[straight-shooter]

I setup my camera on a 30 second shutter. This way any lightning that occurs in that 30 second time frame will show in the picture. With multiple lightning strikes it can make for some awesome pics.

For this to work it must be on a tripod and i usually activate the shutter via my hand held remote so the camera isn't disturbed.

 

[straittactical]

yep i did all that.

I setup my camera on a 30 second shutter. This way any lightning that occurs in that 30 second time frame will show in the picture. With multiple lightning strikes it can make for some awesome pics.

For this to work it must be on a tripod and i usually activate the shutter via my hand held remote so the camera isn't disturbed.

 

[bnax]

Great shot, love to see lighting shots like that

 

[Wild Deuce]

Looking up some info for you. I will say this ... the lightning is only part of the composition. Once you figure out the mechanics/exposure, you will also need an interesting background, unusual or awesome cloud formations, or BOTH.

 

[Mr.Lubie]

Nice shot..I took this one during the storm Friday night using a Canon T3I and a 24-105 L F4 lens and a 91 second shutter speed.Picture was taken at 11:12pm and I wanted to light everything up for the monochrome picture style

 

[Aaron B.]

Easy fix - get rid of the Nikon and get a Canon .

It looks like you were just out of focus in the two shots you posted. The lights in the background look pretty soft. If I were setting that shot up, I would have focused on the treeline and lights. I focus on a distance object, or just set focus to infinity.

Most of your settings look fine. I'm no pro, but have gotten good results usually shooting ISO100, shutter on "bulb" (continuous), and adjust aperture depending on the distance and intensity of the lightning, but mostly in the 7-11 range. 30 sec exposure will probably work most of the time, but I prefer bulb so I can close the shutter whenever I want - no overexposure from a really active storm, or cars driving though the frame ruining my shot, etc. Or, I can leave it open longer if it is really dark and I want to expose more of the landscape.

Shutter speed isn't going to affect the sharpness of the lighting - it isn't moving, and it is going to expose for as long as the bolt is present. Sometimes I'll expose for 5 sec, sometimes a minute or more waiting for a strike.

 

[murph]

I googled how to take pictures at night because it seemed no matter what I did, I couldn't get a clear shot of just the moon! I found a forum, set the settings they recommended and viola! success! I love taking pictures but am by no means great at it. My step dad takes some awesome shots! I'm always jealous of people that can capture lightning though. They make for some of the most amazing pictures.

I recommend using a search engine and seeing what others say. Sounds like people here have some good suggestions though!

And agree with Aaron B.... get a Canon

 

[straittactical]

that is a neat looking pic. puts mine to shame

Nice shot..I took this one during the storm Friday night using a Canon T3I and a 24-105 L F4 lens and a 91 second shutter speed.Picture was taken at 11:12pm and I wanted to light everything up for the monochrome picture style