Copyright (C) 2010 Mary Weiland
I left the shutter open for 25 seconds, took repeated pictures, and crossed my fingers. The moonlight was coming from the upper left portion of the frame, and cast a lot of light. I didn't try to shoot longer than 25 seconds - I think excitement, nerves, etc. took over and I didn't leave room for experimentation. If I left the shutter open to 30 seconds, the blues in the sky may have been more vibrant...but I also had to compensate for the full moon light.
Copyright (C) 2010 Mary Weiland
I did not have my zoom lens with me (80 - 200 mm f/2.8) because I did not want to carry the weight of an extra lens on the hike from North to South Rim, so these shots were taken with an 18 - 70 mm lens at 60 - 70mm lengths. Maybe they would have been stronger shots with a longer zoom, but I am happy with the turnout. I like the fact that you can see the cloud cover and the rain coming down.
Next time I have the opportunity to shoot lightning, I will experiment more with timing/shutter speed, and focal length. I did learn, though, that it is all luck. As soon as the shutter closed, sure enough, the best lightning strikes occurred.
... though it looks like if you had gone much longer than 25 seconds, you might've lost some nice detail in those moving clouds (especially in the second picture)
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about that. I wonder if I left it open longer if there would be more detail or if it would have been washed out? I do like the softness of the moving clouds - I think it provides a nice contrast to the lightning. I have a night shot you may like -it's of the big dipper over the lodge at the North Rim. Really wanted to get some night shots...but with lots of cloud cover and a full moon, it didn't happen.
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