A New Toy

Some of the most dramatic photos I see when looking at photo sites are those of lightning. Most of the pics are just lucky shots.  But some, some are really cool and they have a direct correlation with the photographer trying to catch the perfect shot of lightning.  I've ventured out into the storm before and caught some pretty neat shots.  Its not super difficult.  Just chase the storm(at night), set up your camera on a tripod, point it at the direction of the lightning, and then either by remote control or using your finger push the shutter button and hold it open until you've seen some flashes of lightning.  Alot of trial and error involved.  Not to mention......danger.  Standing next to metal tripod legs holding an electrical device.  And then you have the possibility of rain coming down on your gear.  I recently learned of a device called a lightning trigger that makes things better with all the above.  It mounts on top of my camera, and the second it sees/senses a change in light/exposure it snaps a picture.  Kind of like a remote control but take out the human element which is a problem due to the speed of a bolt of lightning.  I ordered the trigger last week and have been dying to receive it since this has been the summer of storms.  Big storms.  With lots of thunder.....and lightning.  I finally received it yesterday and has luck would have it, we some booming storms last night.  I found myself explaining to the wife at 10:00 last night that I needed to go over by the lake and start taking pics.  Of course, she was not to happy and of course I still went.  It was my first night using my new toy and being in the dark it was a little difficult learning to use.  But, the benefits for future outings are numerous.  I already know that in the future:  I can shoot lightning during the day instead of just at night since the trigger senses a change in exposure and I don't have to hold the shutter open and wait for a strike.  I could, if I wanted, take a nap while my camera and trigger are shooting away at lightning daggers.  And perhaps the best part, I can lift my hatch on my van, setup my tripod and mount the camera inside the van, and let my gear go to work from the comfort and SAFETY of my van while keeping my gear dry. Here is one of the shots I got last night.