Mississippi heat

[amithi]

So, I don't have the slightest idea how to take night photos, but the heat lightning was amazing last night so I decided to give it a worl'. I had a tripod and everything, but it still looks pretty grainy to me. I don't know if it's me or if it's that my camera (Canon Powershot A410) just doesn't have the capacity for a really great weather shot.

Does it work for anyone, and how can I get a better shot next time?

[readingr]

Meg

Whats the EXIF on this - to me it looks like not enough time for the camera to absorb enough of the available light. For lightning I use ISO 50 15sec with the lens wide open F2.4 on the Canon Powershot Pro 1, its the max it will do. On my Canon AE1 which is film its ISO 100 F1.4 and open until the lightning flashes then I close the shutter.
I also use the remote or timer to fire the camera so there is no shake at all.

Roger

[GB1]

Meg,

The picture's abstract. Not bad for what it is, but I would not have guessed lightning. Looks more like ambient light.

Nice lightning shots on a digital camera are somewhat different. Like Roger said, if you don't have enough light, it can cause noise. If you start with an underexposed shot and try to 'brighten' it up afterwards, you will normally pay the price of increased grain (film) or noise (digital). Sometimes the shots just come out plain weird (.. technically speaking).

For lightning shots, you want to expose when the lightning is in the sky and not in between. But this is tough, you never know WHEN the lightning will flash nor where in the sky it will be. With film you set the camera to "B" and an aperature of anywhere from wide open to about f 5.6, focus on infinity, and put something in front of the lens like a piece of cardboard. When you see a flash you *quickly* slide the cardboard from the lens, allowing the light to get in. You have to be quick. But if you're lucky the lightning will "freeze" in the sky for a sec afterwards. Expect a few failures before you get a good one.

Man, that was a long reply eh

gb

[cyberlord]

put something in front of the lens like a piece of cardboard. When you see a flash you *quickly* slide the cardboard from the lens, allowing the light to get in. You have to be quick. But if you're lucky the lightning will "freeze" in the sky for a sec afterwards.

Ah.. that's what I was missing. The light blocker! I'll have to remember that next time.

Why is hindsight always 20/20?

Tim

[amithi]

Thanks Roger, gb! I'm shamed to say that I don't know much of anything about ISO and f-stops, shutter speeds and all. I was just reading a little about it so I could answer y'all. So, are we saying that I want to keep the shutter open a long time and use a smaller f-stop to allow the most light in as possible, so as to cut down on the noise? (thanks for specifying bw noise and grain for me gb). I don't quite understand the purpose of the cardboard either. I've GOT to get a fully manual SLR this summer so I'll be forced to learn these settings and things.

[GB1]

Thanks Roger, gb! I'm shamed to say that I don't know much of anything about ISO and f-stops, shutter speeds and all. I was just reading a little about it so I could answer y'all. So, are we saying that I want to keep the shutter open a long time and use a smaller f-stop to allow the most light in as possible, so as to cut down on the noise? (thanks for specifying bw noise and grain for me gb). I don't quite understand the purpose of the cardboard either. I've GOT to get a fully manual SLR this summer so I'll be forced to learn these settings and things.

Hey, you'll get there. Grab a good photog book and read up. Aperature and shutter speed are concepts independent of the film/digital religional debate (both cameras use lenses, hence aperature settings). Note that the smaller the lens aperture, the less light that gets through. But in their wisdom, a small aperture corresponds to a *larger* aperture number f 8.0 is twice as small as f 5.6 for example, which is twice as small as f 4.0. Yada yada. This might help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture

The cardboard is to block ambient light (background stuff) that can 'fog' your film with stuff that you really don't want like city light contamination etc. What you do want is the lightning bolts. So you block the lens from getting any light until you see the bolts, then remove the board (quickly). It's like keeping a door closed in a rain storm until someone runs in from a car - you only open the door just as he gets there to allow him in, minimizing the rain that sneaks in.

GB

[readingr]

Thanks GB I Forgot to mention the card.

Meg the 410 I believe has the ability to shoot at different ISO; should be 100 400 and possibly 800 - check the manual. Don't know if you can completely go manual tho.

My aviatr is a self portrait taken with digital with a weak lightning reflected in a window. You can see a bigger version on my web site under Gallery/Stills.