Your Best Lightning Shot of 2008?

[Jonathan Merage]

Amazing pics! Not much beats a crisp +CG in the middle of the night--or 2 or 3. Along with a few others I've managed to catch some of my best lightning shots without any extra nifty devices.

Just north of Belleville, KS on the 29th (sometime between 9:45 & 10pm). For the whole 9-yards, this shot was one of my best ever.

Just east of Denver a couple nights ago (25th). CGs kept hitting the same spot repeatedly for a good while, so this was actually a bit easier to catch. Used my 300mm zoom for this one- for the first time.

 

[Gary Stofer]

I didn't get around to showing these off in 2007 so here are my best for the last year, all from the same cell of course. This one could have killed one of us with its last strike. Sadly they were so bright that they overexposed a little.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

 

[D. Hayes]

Wow Mike that one in B&W looks fantastic. Kudos to everyone else not a single one that I wish I didn't take!

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Here are some others. I over-sharpened and over-contrasted all. I don't typically add noise to photos, but I did to these just to give them the old film grain type appearance.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

Here are some others. I over-sharpened and over-contrasted all. I don't typically add noise to photos, but I did to these just to give them the old film grain type appearance.

Its interesting how those turned out. I usually hate noise, BW, etc when I do my pictures but after posting one picture (below) on flickr which I almost didn't post and getting good comments on it I realized many people do go for the artsy and different styles in a picture. I shot the photo with my telephoto because it was so distant and so it was not crisp and it was yellowed. Turns out what I thought was blah was interesting to others.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Its interesting how those turned out. I usually hate noise, BW, etc when I do my pictures but after posting one picture (below) on flickr which I almost didn't post and getting good comments on it I realized many people do go for the artsy and different styles in a picture. I shot the photo with my telephoto because it was so distant and so it was not crisp and it was yellowed. Turns out what I thought was blah was interesting to others.

Yeah, every photo is just different, I guess. Here is the original, unedited (other than crop) version of the first one above ... just seems uninteresting to me. The art deco style of the 909 Walnut building just cried out to be B&W. The storms last night were difficult (for me, anyway). The decent bolts were firing inside the precip, making exposure with the bright skyline tough.

I actually started off in a really old cemetery in the middle of nowhere last night. Lots of lightning, but I tried for about an hour to get the shot I wanted with like zero success. Here is one from the cemetery and here is another I attempted of the Power & Light District. Just could not seem to catch a good break on decent CGs. Something cool happened in the cemetery that gave me an idea, though. I accidentally got a bunch of lightning bugs in several of the shots (you can see a few in the cemetery photo above). I'm going back to try it again, because it could be really cool. We should have a group photo project of fireflies and see how they all turn out -

 

[Jim Saueressig]

I actually started off in a really old cemetery in the middle of nowhere last night. Lots of lightning, but I tried for about an hour to get the shot I wanted with like zero success.

So far I haven't found any real good cemetery vs storm direction spots to do that but always thought it would be neat to get it and have a reflection of the strike off of a polished stone.

I accidentally got a bunch of lightning bugs in several of the shots. I'm going back to try it again, because it could be really cool. We should have a group photo project of fireflies and see how they all turn out

I had originally cussed the fireflies but after going back to some 5/30 shots I realized it can add some effect. (click images for larger views)

Lightning and Lightning Bugs Under the Stars

This one has the ground covered. As I was shooting ISO 100 I had to post process them a bit to show them better.




I had originally considered this shot wasted but........

 

[Michael Ratliff]

best lighting shot

east of wellington,ks on june 4th

 

[David Schuttler]

Not my best but is my favorite for 2008
Taken while driving towards a storm N. of Tulsa


April 8th
Exposure:8 sec (8)Aperture:f/5.6Focal Length:10 mmISO Speed:100

 

[Brian Stertz]

Mine is permanently burned in my mind but not my camera....it was a pole scorching bolt on 6/11...near Steele City NE. I am sure its on Mike Peregrine's mental hard-drive too. It was THAT close. Probably the closest bolt in my chasing career. The supercells that night had tremendous lightning.

 

[Ian Miller]

lightning shot

Great shots guys, this is one of several shots that night,
an overhead strike from the oklahoma supercell on 24/5/08.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

These are from June 19 in Lubbock near the Tech Campus. I was hoping for a strike on the construction tower, but I will accept these.

 

[Matthew Fischer]

These were on the way home from our (Adam Lucio, Danny Neal and I) chase from Springfield and Waverly IL chase.

 

[David Drummond]

Denver City, TX 05.06.08

Lubbock, TX 06.19.08