Last night in DFW we had a major storm which was a perfect op for lightning shots. I know part of getting shots is luck, but i know there is technique as well. Share your techniques if you have a great tip. Here are a few I got after a boat load of shots..

http://marknificent.smugmug.com/Phot...57260012_tFimb

 

Nice pictures!

 

wow, nice!

 

using CHDK?

 

We only had 1 lighting storm here in toronto (canada) this whole year, once i go out to capture but lighting is nowhere to been seen around my area =( bugger

nice shots though, what setting did you use so i know for future what works best =)

 

Nice we had some lightning here in San Antonio last night, im sure we will be getting more this weekend. Nice shots

 

Very nice!

 

No CHDK use, just used patience and nearly 4GB of compact flash (filled with mostly nothing). As far as settings... I used ISO between 100 and 400 with my shutter speed floating between 2.5 seconds and 4 seconds.

 

Hand holding or mono/tripod?

WH

 

If you can hold the camera still enough to take clear/focused pictures without a mono/tripod with a 4sec shutter I will give you a dollar.

 

Dollar in the pocket!

 

hahaha, i wish i could've taken that dollar. Alas, i am a mere mortal.

 

The last time I attempted to take a picture of lightning... my sony f717 DIED right in the middle of the photo shoot.... lol for the longest time I thought some sort of crazy electro-disturbance fried the camera.... come to find out years later that the camera model in question suffered from a manufacturing defect of the sensor... (if you type "sony f717" in googles predictive search, the recall is the very first suggestion) I submitted a claim on sonys website, and they had the camera back to me a week later... fixed... free of charge!

I need to try my hand at some lightning shots again now that I have an SLR and live in oklahoma... where we have tons of lightning every year... and usually at least one serious lightning storm every year.

 

If you have more money than time and luck, they have shutter triggers for SLRs and lightning.. but you could buy an array of Canon A710/720s with CHDK for that money.