Bearspaw Brace
|
12th July 2012
Canon 5d mkII Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM 32mm F/4 ISO 50 30 sec |
Lightning is a spectacular phenomenon to photograph, it seems pretty straightforward too right? Set the camera on a tripod, select a long exposure time (say 30 seconds), set the focus to infinity and release the shutter. Technically that is about it, but when it comes to composition you are at the mercy of the gods. I have so many shots of lightning passing the top corner of the frame or exiting at the side of the frame which at the time drive me crazy, but on reflection I suppose if it worked every time there wouldn't be so much satisfaction in getting a reasonable shot.
The image above was made during a huge summer storm in July 2012. At that time I lived in Calgary. Canada and my home had a balcony looking over an old growth forest and Bearspaw Reservoir. I remember this storm as if it were yesterday, booming thunder and ferocious bolts of lightning spreading in all directions. I set up on the balcony under the cover of the eaves of the house and made repeated 30 second exposures, I missed, missed and missed again as the lightning either failed to appear or was out of frame to the left or right. I occasionally caught a smaller 'sky lightning' that bolted across the clouds without reaching earth, but my frustration was likely to create lightning of it's own if I didn't hit one of those earth bound bolts during this spectacular event.
Then suddenly, 'boom' .... above the forest a long finger of light reached down into the trees and simultaneously feathered across the night sky. As I waited for the shutter to close another huge bolt repeated the act, now I was concerned about getting too much light onto the sensor should another strike occur (too much light will 'burn out' detail in the image spoiling the light already captured from the two strikes). To make sure it wasn't spoiled I held the lens cap very close to the lens to shut out any more light, I did this without actually touching the lens otherwise I could have ruined the shot with movement blur.
The tension I felt waiting for those last few seconds until the shutter closed had my heart beating faster, this was photography at it's finest, this was why I wanted to make images. Then as the shutter closed, a brief moment of darkness ensued while the camera rendered the image, milliseconds later, there it was, bursting to life from that tiny review screen on the back of the camera, a stunning double strike, this will always be one of my favourite photographs.
The image above was made during a huge summer storm in July 2012. At that time I lived in Calgary. Canada and my home had a balcony looking over an old growth forest and Bearspaw Reservoir. I remember this storm as if it were yesterday, booming thunder and ferocious bolts of lightning spreading in all directions. I set up on the balcony under the cover of the eaves of the house and made repeated 30 second exposures, I missed, missed and missed again as the lightning either failed to appear or was out of frame to the left or right. I occasionally caught a smaller 'sky lightning' that bolted across the clouds without reaching earth, but my frustration was likely to create lightning of it's own if I didn't hit one of those earth bound bolts during this spectacular event.
Then suddenly, 'boom' .... above the forest a long finger of light reached down into the trees and simultaneously feathered across the night sky. As I waited for the shutter to close another huge bolt repeated the act, now I was concerned about getting too much light onto the sensor should another strike occur (too much light will 'burn out' detail in the image spoiling the light already captured from the two strikes). To make sure it wasn't spoiled I held the lens cap very close to the lens to shut out any more light, I did this without actually touching the lens otherwise I could have ruined the shot with movement blur.
The tension I felt waiting for those last few seconds until the shutter closed had my heart beating faster, this was photography at it's finest, this was why I wanted to make images. Then as the shutter closed, a brief moment of darkness ensued while the camera rendered the image, milliseconds later, there it was, bursting to life from that tiny review screen on the back of the camera, a stunning double strike, this will always be one of my favourite photographs.