Your Best Lightning Shot to date...

[Skip Talbot]

These two are probably my new favorite lightning shots. The bolts themselves aren't that spectacular, I just really like the location and structure.

May 25, 2012 handheld this shot from an airplane several thousand feet above central Kansas. Sandwiched between the anvil and boundary layer, the two cloud layers made it look like we were flying through a cave. A generic bolt of lightning, but the vantage is one from which few get to see lightning.




June 22, 2012 in northwest Kansas. A nice bolt of cloud to ground lightning, but the stacked plates structure is what made this shot for me:

 

[Spencer Terry]

Here are my two favorite shots I shot both on 7-9-12 in Lawton, Oklahoma.

 

[Christopher E. Kincaid]

Wow Skip those shots are awesome... love the structure on the second one.

 

[Christophe Asselin]

I got this one in central eastern France the 30th of June from this year. Rather close !

 

[Christopher E. Kincaid]

I got this one in central eastern France the 30th of June from this year. Rather close !

WOW!!! That was close! What did it hit??? Did you jump???

 

[Joshua Nall]

Looks like it hit that field! I'm sure there is a plant out there hurt. That is a great photo, something like what I've been trying to get. Love the alluminated rain drops, and the bow from the lights I guess? When I see a bow like that the lights are behind me and I'm facing away from the light towards heavy rain. That's an interesting shot. Were there lights behind you as well? Just trying to figure out what's causeing the redish colored bow. I get frustrated shooting in the rain but stuff like this makes me keep trying. Hard to get a wide angle shot without getting drops on the lens... Just when you go to wipe it off... BAM, one hits right out there where you want it to, although not usually THAT close. But hey it wouldn't be as fun or so rewarding if it was easy.

 

[Christophe Asselin]

WOW!!! That was close! What did it hit??? Did you jump???

Haha, yeah, i jumped a little, but there already had been a few other close bolt before so i was kind of expecting it.
It simply hit the field, and that's what I like about it. This proves again that lightning can strike anywhere, even on the ground next to a bunch of tall trees.

Looks like it hit that field! I'm sure there is a plant out there hurt. That is a great photo, something like what I've been trying to get. Love the alluminated rain drops, and the bow from the lights I guess? When I see a bow like that the lights are behind me and I'm facing away from the light towards heavy rain. That's an interesting shot. Were there lights behind you as well? Just trying to figure out what's causeing the redish colored bow. I get frustrated shooting in the rain but stuff like this makes me keep trying. Hard to get a wide angle shot without getting drops on the lens... Just when you go to wipe it off... BAM, one hits right out there where you want it to, although not usually THAT close. But hey it wouldn't be as fun or so rewarding if it was easy.

The lights come from a small town which is on the right of the picture and a bit behind me too. That's what gives it a redish color. I usually don't like this city kind of light pollution but I think it's ok in this case.
As for the photography in the rain, here is my tip : shoot from inside your car ! Obviously, that's not always easy but if you find a way to position your car and if there isn't too much wind, it provides great results ! I took a lot of my best shots with this setup I made for my car. It consists of an aluminium windows stile that I fix between the dashboard and my passenger seat and on which I put a 3D head with my camera on it. In 2009, I took this picture from my car, under heavy rain :

Works pretty, pretty, pretty good (©Larry David) in my opinion !

But don't worry, I've missed an incredible amount of good strikes while wiping the lens or changing my camera settings. Like you say, it wouldn't be as fun if it was too easy

 

[Arkansasbandit]

Heres one I took in 2011. One of my better ones.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Some of the better lightning results from this year:

May 5, 2012 - Carlyle, Illinois

Chase log: http://stormhighway.com/may52012.shtml

May 6, 2012 - Eureka and STL, Missouri

Chase log: http://stormhighway.com/blog2012/may712a.shtml

April 14, 2012 - Cherokee, Oklahoma (video frame)

Chase log: http://stormhighway.com/april142012.shtml

 

[Michael Bath]

The smooth channel lightning around the La Crosse, KS supercells and tornadoes 25 May 2012 was impressive. Had not see this type of lightning in nearly 25 years of lightning photography in Australia.

 

[Joshua Nall]

Those are cool shots Michael. I see that sometimes. Here are two shots from last year.

 

[Joshua Nall]

A few more from last year...



Wide looking bolt


If I would have just caught it hitting the ground to the right there, this one would have been my favorite so far. I love how the delicate looking fingers reach down behind the tree tops.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Got this yesterday evening here in Amarillo around dusk.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

These are my last ones:

 

[Patrick Martin]

What makes this one of my personal best is that it was a handheld shot. Melrose NM 6/12/12.

EXIF data is Canon 50D, ISO3200, Tokina 11-16 @11mm, F2.8, 1/50 exposure.