Night Photography - Lightning Storm

[Deneys]

Please let me have it. I don't know what else to do to make this photo more interesting or to improve it.



EXIF data:
Camera: Nikon D60
Shutter Speed: 30 sec
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

Ta

[cshortt1]

The lightning capture is spectacular. I would be interested to learn of your exposure settings and technique.

For me, I think a change your vantage point that eliminates the bright and/or tall buildings in the foreground would make the image more interesting. This foreground brightness attracts the eye away from the main subject (the lightning) and the tall building actually blocks it.

You apparently have great storms to photograph so look for lots of locations that maximize the opportunity to showcase the lightning. Hope this helps.

Carl

[Deneys]

Hi and thanks for the comment cshortt

I tend to agree with you, the tall building is a bit distracting and you quite correct it was an obstruction. Next time we have a storm (Hopefully soon) I think Ill find a better spot to take the pics.

The technique is quite simple. Shutter priority , 30 sec exposure, Try and zoom in on something if you cant use a hyper focal point and start snapping.

Ta Deneys

[kirbinster]

Very nice. You might try to darken up the sky some.

[ressalg]

I agree that the building is a huge distraction from the lightning. That's not to say that an interesting foreground wouldn't benefit a shot like this. It's just that this particular foreground dominates too much of the image.

Thanks for sharing... it's still a really nice shot.

[idcrewdawg]

Aside from repositioning yourself next time. All you can do for this image is recrop it. If you crop so the white sign at the top of the building was cropped out as well as the bright lights in the foreground of the buildings at the bottom, leaving the building on the left side of the picture, with the lightning taking up the rest. Would employ rule of thirds as well.

Something I read once was, squint at the scene you are about to take, and you will see the dominant parts of the shot. If you do that to your image, you will see what is really drawing the eye.