Lightning photos

[den]

I've tried to take lighting photos in the past, but I've NEVER taken one like this. Yes, that is a leader rising in front of the palm tree.

Comments

[hendikins.livejournal.com]

Whoa...

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Whoa.

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

Bet THAT bolt tingled Kane's toes---

[jamesb]

Batty, you ought to post that in the weathernerds community.

[http://users.livejournal.com/crossfire_/]

Are you sure that's a streamer and not a lens artifact? It and the bright main stroke are almost perfectly parallel in angle and have very similar kinks...

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, preeety!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[oceansedge.livejournal.com]

Wow... I've seen some cool lightening storm pictures here on the prairies... but NOTHING like that!

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

Awesome *and* scary!

The only other picture I've seen like it is a clear shot in a nature book I have. Pink lightning smiting a bush or some such thing in the desert. That tree it hit probably exploded in terms of at least one limb. Lightning struck a tree down by the post office this past summer (1 1/2 blocks away) and there were splinter shards aplenty foy yards around. Thankfully it was late at night, so no one was walking in that area. I do all the time as it's on the way to the market.

[klishnor.livejournal.com]

Rather more years ago than I care to admit, I did a year working in the drawing office of a large hospital (I was in the engineering department, not sketching patients). As is normal for such a building we had a couple of dozen conductors strapped to the highest points. One day we had a storm and a bolt of lighnting decided to earth itself in the hospital. Somehow it threaded its way between all the rods, and hit a small tree just outside the main nurses home. This was about 200 feet from the drawing office if you could travel in a straight line.

As soon as the storm passed everyone was out there looking at the result. One nicely trimmed telephone pole with steam still coming out of it, and bits and pieces of wood (I can't call them branches I couldn't find a piece more than a foot long anywhere) scattered all over the area. A couple of them had put large dents into cars parked nearby.

I still can't figure out why the lightning wasn't attracted to the rods. They were checked and they were all working.

[tropism.livejournal.com]

That's not a leader -- that's lens refraction. That being said, though, that's a freaking amazing pic. :)

[frith]

Ouch. How fared the palm?

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

rather badly, I expect.

[azhreia.livejournal.com]

Taking a picture like that would require one to have nerves of steel.

and, I rather suspect, pants of rubber.

;-)

[hoya99.livejournal.com]

This all presupposes that the photog was present for the shot. There are a number of sophisticated tripods now available that are remote-controlled and patchable straight into the camera, allowing the photog to be safely out the elements when taking shots of dangerous weather.

Neat shot, btw.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

The photgrapher was standing in his car port so he was protected from the rain and hail. He thought he'd get some shots of lightning but didn't expect that.