Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Eldar said:
Impressive shots Tex! Can you share some info on how you shot them?

Thanks! And Sure!
I developed this technique myself. (It is ridiculously simple) Sort of a cross between motor driving and time lapse.
1. Set camera to Tv, 30 sec exposure. M would work fine too.
2. ISO 100
3. Aim, Focus, Use a cable release that can be locked on. Lock it on.
4. Drink beer and hope for lightening. Adjust aim as best location may change.
5. I will usually dial in -2 to -4 exposure compensation because the camera is metering when there is no lightening.

Essentially I am letting the camera record 30 seconds exposure continuously. In 30 minutes, you will take 60 photos. And maybe get 3-4 keepers. As this is so hands off you can easily work with 2-3 cameras at a time.

One thing about lightening photos is you must capture more than just lightening. (Fireworks are this way too) You must have ground objects to establish scale, and give some context. The clouds really helped me here too.

In post I adjusted color and added a lot of clarity. If you have 2+ plus photos with strikes in each, and you did not move the camera, you can stack them in Photoshop and set top layers to lighten. This will add the strikes together nicely. The middle photo is actually 2 photos combined this way.

Oh and be safe. I am standing on my 25th floor balcony here with 2 more floors of building and a lightening rod above me. Don't stand on top of a mountain for a good veiw and get fried!
 
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TexPhoto said:
Eldar said:
Impressive shots Tex! Can you share some info on how you shot them?

Thanks! And Sure!
I developed this technique myself. (It is ridiculously simple) Sort of a cross between motor driving and time lapse.
1. Set camera to Tv, 30 sec exposure. M would work fine too.
2. ISO 100
3. Aim, Focus, Use a cable release that can be locked on. Lock it on.
4. Drink beer and hope for lightening. Adjust aim as best location may change.
5. I will usually dial in -2 to -4 exposure compensation because the camera is metering when there is no lightening.

Essentially I am letting the camera record 30 seconds exposure continuously. In 30 minutes, you will take 60 photos. And maybe get 3-4 keepers. As this is so hands off you can easily work with 2-3 cameras at a time.

One thing about lightening photos is you must capture more than just lightening. (Fireworks are this way too) You must have ground objects to establish scale, and give some context. The clouds really helped me here too.

In post I adjusted color and added a lot of clarity. If you have 2+ plus photos with strikes in each, and you did not move the camera, you can stack them in Photoshop and set top layers to lighten. This will add the strikes together nicely. The middle photo is actually 2 photos combined this way.

Oh and be safe. I am standing on my 25th floor balcony here with 2 more floors of building and a lightening rod above me. Don't stand on top of a mountain for a good veiw and get fried!

tex...regarding your technique, i think you've made a mistake...why on earth would you wait until step 4 to drink the beer? ;) ;D

nice photos!
north
 
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So I finally got a half decent panorama. It's from the balcony of my room at the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami. It was a business trip and for some unknown reason, they upgraded me to a room with a huge balcony including a hot tub! Needless to say I didn't ask why... Shot during golden hour at around 50mm, 9 photos stitched together using my RRS pano kit.

Trump_International_Resort_Miami_Panorama_ID-XL.jpg
 
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mackguyver said:
So I finally got a half decent panorama. It's from the balcony of my room at the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami. It was a business trip and for some unknown reason, they upgraded me to a room with a huge balcony including a hot tub! Needless to say I didn't ask why...

Trump_International_Resort_Miami_Panorama_ID-XL.jpg

They saw that you were a Canon shooter ;D
 
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mackguyver said:
So I finally got a half decent panorama. It's from the balcony of my room at the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami. It was a business trip and for some unknown reason, they upgraded me to a room with a huge balcony including a hot tub! Needless to say I didn't ask why... Shot during golden hour at around 50mm, 9 photos stitched together using my RRS pano kit.

Trump_International_Resort_Miami_Panorama_ID-XL.jpg
Nice panorama! Try to get this image sold to the Hotel Management for their promotion
 
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mackguyver said:
So I finally got a half decent panorama. It's from the balcony of my room at the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami. It was a business trip and for some unknown reason, they upgraded me to a room with a huge balcony including a hot tub! Needless to say I didn't ask why... Shot during golden hour at around 50mm, 9 photos stitched together using my RRS pano kit.

Trump_International_Resort_Miami_Panorama_ID-XL.jpg

Wow..nice pano and even nicer room/view!
 
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