Lightning over Portalnd

Patience is rewarded as I finally capture big lightning over Portland. This was after 100 frames or more trying. :)

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Comments

Bridgetown Web says:

What a great shot. You got very lucky.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

ixuil says:

1/3" 20D, how can u catch that light?
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Bridgetown Web: Thanks! :)

ixuil: I was trying to time the shot, then gave up and started just shooting at max frame rate. One worked. As Bridgetown said, I got very lucky. Very lucky indeed.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

bandita says:

That is so awesome! I'm jealous.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Lucien W. Dupont says:

Wow.... way better than anything I tried to capture down here in West Linn. Awesome job!
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbrush says:

Wow, this capture is just outstanding!! Looks like I missed the best lightnings in the SW. Glad you got it so nicely.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

lyzadanger says:

!!!
!!! Gasp.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Brian Sawyer says:

Beautiful. Duncan is too modest. It takes much more than luck to capture a shot like this (though luck is obviously necessary too ;-).
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

digitalnomad says:

You really got it, didn't you? Intense.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Mark Griffith says:

Great capture.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

benkay says:

I don't live where I could see the lightning, but I was thinking of ways to do it, and I thought long exposure would have been the way to go. How do lightning shots differ with long and short exposures?
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

duncandavidson says:

The only real reason to go with a long exposure is to increase your odds of catching a bolt. The bolts themselves are pretty bright, but are very fleeting. I think that the time they are actually lit up is usually much shorter than what our eye perceives them to be thanks to persistence of vision and how damn bright they are. Certainly, if you could time a 1/100'th exposure right, you could catch 'em just fine. But since nobody has those kinds of reflexes... :)

In this shot I was exposing for the background and took enough frames to get lucky. If it's fully night out, you can go with much longer exposure times and up your chances of catching the bolts considerably. Try a totally dark night and just bulb your camera until you get some flashes.

Oh, and take lots of frames. Most won't show a darn thing :)
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbrush says:

And there are reasons to try shorter exposure times: for sharper results, less cloud blurring (because they move) and less sensor noise. Duncan took the risk but ended up with some incredible shots that are certainly higher in quality than longer exposure attempts.

Last night I was at a party and only had a 50mm fixed focus lens with me and no tripod... man was I bummed!

Hey Duncan, did you offer this one to the Oregonian?
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

samgrover says:

Cool! That is so awesome!
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Wallen Arts says:

Killer capture! These are difficult at best! well done.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

duncandavidson says:

Saltoricco: Nope, I didn't. Is there a web form for that kind of thing?
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbrush says:

Sorry, don't know it for the Oregonian. It is probably too late now, but I had sent images to the editor of local newspapers in the past and that had worked.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbrush says:

Duncan: check out the front page of the Oregonian: they encourage to send in rainbow photos to photos@oregonian.com. Oh - they have added a web form on www.oregonlive.com. Right on the front page.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

spyzter says:

An absolutely wonderful shot!
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

jon madison says:

NICE

the joy of digital photography--just imagine how expensive this shot would have been otherwise!

j.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

cooks says:

WOW
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

mutbka says:

Holy cow - that's incredible. This thing doen't just hit the ground, it kinda spreads "wings" over the city.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

jon madison says:

just came back to remind you (and myself) of how amazing this shot is. :D
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

abolghasem ghasemi says:

ohhhh...
very very nice
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Capital I says:

wow, for portland thats alot of lightning.

It's a sign.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

halle says:

¡wow!
Posted 48 months ago. ( permalink )

I. B. Squiggles says:

This is amazing. This is probably the best lightning shot i've seen. Excellent!
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

oybay says:

Patience does pay off. Nice shooting.
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

Norby says:

Gorgeous - just gorgeous. The magnificent phoenix rises from the ashes over the streets of Portland. I know it rains in Portland, of course, but I'd never really thought of there being lightning there.

Longer exposures can also get you more dramatic skies, help balance the ambient light vs. the lightning strike and keep you from having quite as many empty frames to delete :) Balancing lightning against the ambient light is exactly the same as with flash photography.

-/\/
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Detailswe4sake*Photography says:

***********************************
You have been invited to post this striking photo
in the pool Flora, Nature Contests, in the thread
11th Contest : Lightning; POST HERE
www.flickr.com/groups/flowercontests/discuss/ 721575942082...
Do you know of other Lightning pictures?
Then feel free to pass this on!
************************************
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

LenSOP says:

Great pic, my FAVE.
Posted 35 months ago. ( permalink )

outre says:

Outstanding capture, one of the better Lightning shot's I've seen! Heard you on the Digital Story today and I'm happy to find your stream.

...I've faved and tagged this one "QUALITY" and am hoping you will join and post it to:
www.flickr.com/groups/quality_photography/
where photographic quality such as this gets the recognition it deserves and inspires others...

QUALITY!
Please read (and heed) the comment entitled "YOUR Responsibility" on the Group's opening page.

--
Seen on the Web. (?)
Posted 35 months ago. ( permalink )

artist_jane says:

Great shot, breathtaking. I lived in PDX for many years, but seldom saw a good lightning storm. Down here, the weather gods clash all the time as they surf the Gulf WInd
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )

pete4ducks says:

amazing capture
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

Black Dog Photography says:

Thats awesome. I remember that storm.

--
Seen next to a fellow photo of pdx [portland]. (?)
Posted 25 months ago. ( permalink )

Ashley Bee™ [deleted] says:

Wow! Great shot!
I love the formation it's in.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

jjiimmeennaa says:

los piolas
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

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Taken with a Canon EOS 20D.
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Taken on June 19, 2005

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Lightning over Portalnd

Comments

Bridgetown Web says:

ixuil says:

duncandavidson says:

bandita says:

Lucien W. Dupont says:

shadowbrush says:

lyzadanger says:

Brian Sawyer says:

digitalnomad says:

Mark Griffith says:

benkay says:

duncandavidson says:

shadowbrush says:

samgrover says:

Wallen Arts says:

duncandavidson says:

shadowbrush says:

shadowbrush says:

spyzter says:

jon madison says:

cooks says:

mutbka says:

jon madison says:

abolghasem ghasemi says:

Capital I says:

halle says:

I. B. Squiggles says:

oybay says:

Norby says:

Detailswe4sake*Photography says:

LenSOP says:

outre says:

artist_jane says:

pete4ducks says:

Black Dog Photography says:

Ashley Bee™ [deleted] says:

jjiimmeennaa says:

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