How to Photograph Lightning {Simple and Sweet}

Lightning is simply astonishing to me. The sheer energy and beauty of God's display is just astounding. Each time a storm builds, I watch for lightning, in anticipation of a powerful display in the sky.

My favorite lightning shot that I have captured. 18mm, f/4.5, ISO-200, 15 sec.

But capturing lightning with a camera can seem elusive. But really, it's not too difficult to do. Here is a quick run down of what you need to do, and then I will further explain each step.

1. Be safe.
2. Use a tripod.
3. Set your ISO to 100 to 400, depending on how distant the storm is.
4. Set your aperture, again depending on the distance of the lightning, but usually f/9 to f/11 is a good starting point.
5. Set your shutter speed to BULB or to 10 second intervals.
6. Compose your photo.
7. Find a distant focus point.
8. Switch the auto focus off.
9. Use a cable release or remote shutter release.
10. Open the shutter and wait for the lightning.
11. Close the shutter.
12. Have patience.

Pretty simple.

Now let's delve deeper into it...

Cloud to cloud lightning.  18mm, f/4.5, ISO-200, 11 sec.

Be safe.

If you can hear thunder, you can be struck by the lightning, so shoot from a safe spot. This may be from your porch or inside a vehicle. You will want to avoid standing in an open field or under a tree, though. An awesome photo will do you no good if you aren't alive to share it.

Use a tripod.

Shooting lightning just isn't possible unless you have a steady surface to rest your camera. You will need to use a slow shutter speed because no matter how quick your finger is on the shutter release, you won't capture the lightning if you wait to push the button until you see the lightning.

Set your ISO.

Your ISO will depend on how distant the storm is. If the lightning is pretty far in the distance, you will need to up your ISO to 400 or so to be able to capture the light. But if the storm is pretty close, the lightning will be brilliantly bright, so bring your ISO down to 100 or 200.

Set your aperture.

If the storm is in the distance, you will need to let in as much light as possible, so you may want to shoot wide open, around f/5 or wider if your lens will open up more. If the lightning is nearby, start with f/9 to f/11 since the light will be quite bright.

These bolts all struck at the same time. 18mm, f/4.5, ISO-200, 3.7 sec.

Set your shutter speed.

If your camera has the BULB setting, that is where you want to be. Otherwise, set it for a long shutter speed, starting with 15 seconds. Then adjust as necessary, depending on how much action is going on around you. You may need to go as long as 30 seconds or even a minute at a time.

Compose your photo.

Because you can't predict exactly where lightning will appear, composition is a difficult task. However, as you watch a particular storm, you will see a general area to train your camera towards. When composing your photo, if you can include a foreground object like a tree or a bridge, the image can be more compelling. But with lightning, a lot of times it is just plain luck.

This photo includes the Washington bridge over the Missouri River, creating a very appealing composition
with the lights on the bridge and the extremely close lightning reflecting in the river.
Photo by Adam Gerdes Photography

Find your focus.

This can be difficult, but don't be intimidated. Try to focus on the distant horizon or a far away light. If necessary, have a friend hold a flashlight 100 yards away and focus on that point. You can also set your focus to infinity (the little sideways 8) and adjust from there. Another tip is to use your LCD screen and zoom in on a distant subject to focus on it.

Turn auto focus off.

Once you have the camera focused, you want to make sure it doesn't try to refocus each time you press the shutter release. So flip the focus to manual, and you don't have to worry about it.

Use a cable release or remote shutter release.

Preferably, you don't want to touch the camera, as you want it as still as possible. Of course, sometimes that just isn't possible if 30mph wind is rocking the vehicle you are sitting in the back of.

My last capture before I headed back inside. 18mm, f/4.5, ISO-200, 16.3 sec.

Open the shutter...and wait...

If it is dark outside, then you won't have any problem leaving the shutter open for a full minute while you wait for lightning to strike within your frame. Take a few test shots at different shutter speeds to find out what is best for the storm you are currently watching. Start with 15 seconds, then go to 20 seconds, then 30 seconds...If the lightning is nearly constant, you may not be able to go more than 15 seconds before the photo becomes overexposed.

Close the shutter.

Generally, you will want to close the shutter after the lightning strikes. If you want to attempt to capture more than one strike in the image, keep the shutter open until you have another strike, or two. However, be careful about overexposing your image from too much light.

Have patience.

It's all about the light...and the light you want to capture is not a steady light, but an exceptionally sporadic and fantastic light that encourages you to just stare in awesome wonder.

See my other tutorials, including shooting the full moon and fireworks. Love one of my shots and want to have one for yourself? Visit my website or contact me today - I always love to hear from you! And don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know about new tutorials, events, and specials!

Want to know more about Adam's bridge shot? See his story behind the shot and his tips for photographing lightning here.

Sweet Shot Tuesday - St. Louis Skyline at Sunset

"St. Louis Skyline at Sunset"

The story behind the shot:

On Sunday my husband Mike and I had a day without the boys. The plan was to go school clothes shopping and just spend some time together. There were no particular plans for "spend some time together," so I made sure to grab my camera and tripod on our way out the door.

The setting sun made for great shadows. 

By mid afternoon, our shopping was finished, and we were checking movie times for the mall cinema. We just missed a movie by 10 minutes, so we scratched that idea. In the car, I googled "things to do in St. Louis" - here we had 7 hours to do something before we had to be home, and neither of us knew what to do.

Most things that came to mind either cost more money than we wanted to spend or were evening activities that wouldn't be finished until late.

So, I talked Mike into just letting me take photos. Photography isn't his "thing," but he knows it is mine and agreed to drive me wherever I chose to go.

My first stop was the Laumeier Sculpture Park. There, we walked around the different sculptures, and I got some new photo letter shots. There were a few new sculptures in the park since we had last been there (about 9 years ago), the most interesting one to me being the large eyeball. But being the middle of the afternoon on a bright, sunshiney day, the harsh light just wasn't the best for great photos of the sculptures.

After the park, we had a nice dinner, waiting for the light.

It's all about the light...

The difference between a great photo and an amazing photo is the light. You can have an extraordinary composition, but if the light isn't right, the photo is a dud.

So we waited...

It was a beautiful evening for fishing on the Missouri River.

...and waited...until the sun set, the sky turned blue, and the lights of the city came on.

The weather was pleasant, and no one bothered us. Being a Sunday evening, the Eads Bridge had low traffic, so shaking was minimal, except for every 10 minutes when the MetroLink rumbled through underneath us (at which times Mike would quickly step as far from the edge of the bridge as possible...just in case).

We observed the riverboat and helicopter tours along the river, the massive barges pushing their loads, and a few St. Louisans stroll past us and over the Mississippi River.

It was a fairly sweet evening.

"Peeking Through" - I thought this one called for a vintage look.

Are you interested in a fine art print? Please contact me today - photographic fine art prints are available as photographs, canvas art, cards, bookmarks, and more.

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Sweet Shot Tuesday - The Road Home

Posting this image for the Sweet Shot Tuesdays hosted by Kent Weakley. The day was quite bright with gorgeous clouds floating across the sky, and I had been eyeing this tree nearly every day. Literally. I drive this road each time I leave my house.

So on this day, I stopped the Tahoe in the middle of the road and hopped out for a few snaps. Because of the extreme range of light, the shot straight out of the camera was quite unappealing. So I processed the photo in Photomatix, tonemapping the image to bring the photo to life. I then finished the processing in Photoshop.

Would you like to see the original? Here it is, next to the processed image:

How it Went: {Workshop} Simple and Sweet Photography Basics

Before our photowalk.

 <---There is my first workshop class! I was thrilled that 20 photographers packed the presentation room at St. Peter's UCC last Thursday!

The skill range was from beginners up to serious amateurs, so I was a little nervous, hoping that I would be able to share at least one new thing for each person.

After my presentation, I answered a few questions, and then we headed outside. The sun was beginning its descent and was lighting up the clouds just beautifully. Our route took us to downtown Washington, pausing to snap photos of gardens and historic brick buildings. The sky was a gorgeous and dramatic background, making it easy for my class to find beautiful compositions.

Dramatic clouds to the east during the sunset.

The sunset was stunning as it lit the sky on fire.

I really enjoyed walking with the class, stopping every little bit to help them find the compositions and settings they had in mind. My favorite was watching as they put to use the knowledge I had just shown them in class.

Understanding and comprehending the relation between aperture and depth of field, as well as how the exposure triangle works, can be intimidating. But I think it "clicked" with some of the attendees.

With the overwhelming response immediately after the workshop from people who had not been able to attend, I am looking at holding the photography basics workshop again. And, I hope to develop a series of workshops that focus on specific subjects, like the moon, fireworks, bokeh, aperture and depth of field, composition, and post processing.

Are you interested in attending a workshop? Please join my mailing list! There is a link to the right ---> at the top of the blog to enter your email address.

Would you like to have one of my fine art prints for yourself? Visit my website www.marcinkdesigns.com to purchase one. Note that even if you don't see it on my website, you can still purchase it - just send me a message at tyann@marcinkdesigns.com. And don't forget to follow me on Facebook!

Self portrait after the workshop. :)

How to Photograph Fireworks {Simple and Sweet}

Don't let photographing fireworks baffle you...fireworks really are simple to capture. The key to remember is your shutter speed. This is the time when you need to exercise patience and use shutter speeds of several seconds or longer in order to achieve the image you want.

There are a few tools that will make photographing fireworks very easy: a tripod, a cable or remote shutter release, and knowledge of how to change a few settings on your camera. Note that you can take photographs of fireworks without these tools, as there are workarounds for everything, but these tools will make the experience simpler.

Quick rundown of what is explained in detail below:

• choose a location
• use a tripod
• compose the shot
• f/11
• set focus to infinity and switch to manual focus
• ISO-100
• BULB
• open shutter when you hear the fireworks set off
• close shutter when you see the fireworks are fading

Now, here is further explanation:

Location
After you have decided on a location to photograph the fireworks from and have arrived early, it is time to set up your gear. Set your tripod up, giving you enough room that others will not bump it. You will want your camera perfectly still for several seconds to keep your images sharp.

Tripod
After attaching your camera to the tripod, you will want to compose your shots. If you don't know where the fireworks will explode, you will have to do this step as soon as the first few bursts go off.

Compose the shot
Note that when you compose your shot, you may want to include more than just the fireworks in the frame to give a more interesting composition. Look for trees, buildings, reflections, or even the crowd around you to include in the frame.

Aperture
Now it is time for the camera settings. Go to manual. That's right, out of auto and into manual. We will keep it simple, so don't worry. First set your aperture to f/11. This will give you a nice depth of field.

Focus
But, you want to use manual focus, otherwise your camera may take too much time intrying to autofocus for each shot. Those precious milliseconds might mean a lost shot. So focus on the first burst or on the horizon. Then, change the focus to manual. You can also manually focus to infinity.

ISO
Next, set your ISO to 100. You want your images to be free of any grain.

Shutter speed
The shutter speed is next. Fireworks are bright and will literally draw themselves into the image. So, we will need to be able to control how long we want the shutter speed to be. Turn the shutter speed slow...slower...past 2 seconds...past 10 seconds...past 30 seconds...all the way to BULB.

The BULB setting means that the shutter opens when you press the shutter button and closes when you release it...and this is where your remote shutter release comes in handy. Using the remote shutter release means you can keep your hands off the camera, reducing the risk of slight movement if you press the shutter release button on the camera.

Open the shutter
Yep, now it's time to press the remote shutter release button. To get the first trails of the fireworks, open the shutter as soon as you hear the first take off of the shells. Keep the shutter open as the shell bursts and the fireworks sparkle in the night.

Close the shutter
Once the burst has fizzled out, close your shutter. This is usually 2 to 5 seconds. That's it!

I would love to see your results. Post a comment below with a link to your fireworks shots and let me know how it went!

Want to learn more about {simple and sweet} tutorials? Follow my blog ---> see the link at the top right of the blog to enter your email address. Also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for new tutorials and my photographic fine art!

{Workshop} Simple and Sweet Photography Basics

A little {FREE} workshop covering the basics of photography, presented by me! Focusing on composition and the importance of light, with a little bit on aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Excellent opportunity for all ages of people who are interested in taking better photographs. Whether your favorite subjects are your family, vacation vistas, or the bears at the zoo, you will walk away with knowledge to improve your snapshots.

Bring your camera to play with during the workshop. Also a good idea to read your manual before and then bring it with you (I know, pretty dry reading, but totally worth it).

After the workshop, we will head out for a sunset photowalk so you can put your new knowledge to use.

Thursday, July 19th
7:00pm - 8:45pm

Tentative schedule:
7:00pm - 7:45pm {presentation with Q&A}
7:45pm - 8:45pm {sunset photowalk}

Location:
St. Peter's UCC of Washington
20 East Fifth St.
Washington, Missouri

If you would like to RSVP, see the Facebook event.

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Grass/Green}

I chose the "green" aspect of the challenge this week...

My youngest, Jacob, finally started playing baseball this spring. He has only been watching his brothers play since he was born. And, daddy decided to manage his team. Here is daddy helping Jacob to stand exactly right to whack the baseball over the fence.

I love the concentration of the two of them - especially Jacob's tongue sticking out...

This photo is for the Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Grass/Green}.

Jacob and Daddy - first at bat - first t-ball game

Oh, and I just had to also share this of Jacob heading to second base...

...whilst the other team picks themselves up from a defensive dogpile (after playing in the dirt, of course).

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge {Hey Girl}

For her 15th birthday, our parents set up a surprise birthday party for my little sister. Well, she found out about the party the day before, but she stilled loved the surprise cake! Yes, that is a snapshot of Emily and her friends dressed for the premier of the Hunger Games movie...on the cake. You are never too old for a themed party.

Hey Girl, why don't you hand me your camera so I can get a shot of you and your sis together? {Ryan Gosling says in my dreams.}

my little sister Emily

Shooting the Full Moon

ISO 200, f5.6, 1/640

There is something elusive and mysterious about night photography, most especially the moon.

But the challenges during the dark are no more challenging than situations you come across during the daylight hours. The answer is always the same: balance the exposure with your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

This particular full moon I captured at moonset on Easter morning, which coincided with the sunrise. My ISO was 200, to keep a high quality image. I wanted to be able to take the photo without my tripod, so I brought my aperture down to f5.6, which let more light in so I could have a fast shutter speed of 1/640s.

Note that to get this same exposure, I could also move my aperture to a higher f-stop while slowing my shutter speed. There are many, many ways to get a correct exposure, as the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed work together.

I am sure you have noticed how bright a full moon is. The moon reflects the sun, and at the full moon stage, we see more of the surface reflecting the sunlight. Why does this affect your photo? Well, the above picture was not taken in the dark, even though it looks like it. The sky was not able to be properly exposed at the same time as the proper exposure for the full moon.

The photo below was taken just moments after the photo of the above moon. You can see it was not night, but just about sunrise, with a beautiful deep morning blue hour.

ISO 200, f5.6, 1/640

So, how do you get a properly exposed moon and landscape? You must take the photo before the sun sets.

If you look at the sun/moon tables, you will notice that the full moon doesn't rise until well after the sun sets. Yikes! What do you do? Simple: you take your full moon photo the night before the full moon.

And you know what? Unless you are using a super zoom, you will not notice the small percentage of difference in the size of the moon from the night before to the actual full moon. For example, this weekend's full moon is Saturday night and rises well over an hour after the sun sets. But on Friday night, the moon will be close to full - at 93% - and rise over an hour before the sun sets, giving us plenty of time to capture a properly exposed moon and landscape.

Grab your camera, read your manual so you know how to change your settings, and bring your tripod along to try some longer shutter speeds if you want. The best way to demystify night photography is to practice and play.

A starting point:

photo of Nikon D3100 courtesy of www.ephotozine.com

Set your camera mode to "shutter priority" - this is the S on a Nikon or the Tv on a Canon. By shooting in shutter priority mode, you let the camera figure out the best aperture and ISO for the correct exposure. Warning, though...don't start here if the sun has set and the sky is darkened. Your camera may not adjust the exposure for the brightness of the moon, but instead adjust for the surrounding area.


Now set your shutter speed by turning the dial at your thumb. This is the dial at the back of your camera that disappears into the camera. Begin with 1/100s. You may have to shoot faster, so move the command dial to bring up your shutter speed. Note that if you go lower than 1/60s, you will need a tripod to keep your image focused.

After playing with the shutter speed, move your mode dial to "manual mode" - the M on your mode dial. Don't freak out! You already know that you want a fast shutter speed since the full moon is very bright, reflecting the sun.

You will now want to make sure you have an ISO of 100 or 200 to keep a high quality image. Note that the higher your ISO is, the more likely that you will have noise, or grain, in your image. How high of an ISO you can use without getting a grainy image will depend on your camera.

Next, set your aperture to f8 as a starting point. Now your settings should look like this: ISO 100, f8, 1/100s. Take a few clicks to see how your image is.

Are the shots underexposed (too dark)? Let more light in by first lowering your aperture and take a few more. A lower aperture, or f-stop, opens the sensor, letting more light in.

Maybe the first shots were overexposed (too bright)? Try letting less light in by bumping up your shutter speed or raising your f-stop.

Like anything else, the more you practice and play, the more you learn. And with a full moon, you get that chance every month.

Here is an image I captured just last night. The moon is properly exposed,
as well as the surrounding landscape because the sun had not yet set.

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Rain/Water}

It was raining last night - baseballs, that is! With three home runs by the St. Louis Cardinals, the game was full of energy.

When the home runs were hit, you could see the pops of flashes throughout the stadium. However, I think the best shot at the crack of the bat is of the crowd's reaction to the ball flying through the air. I stepped out into the aisle and turned toward the boys to capture their excitement of yet another home run hit by their favorite baseball team.

This photo is for the Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Rain/Water}.

Sunset on the Pier

New release just in time for my first ever art showing!

Yes, you read that correctly - I will be showing in a local art gallery, inside the St. Peter UCC, and I am just thrilled at the opportunity! When I have more details about an opening reception and how long my pieces will be up, I will be sure to let you know. ; )

Now onto this image:

Sunset on the Pier
Mexico Beach, Florida

Taken in July 2011, this was the last evening of our vacation, and my first chance to head down to the pier for a photowalk. And, wow, I was not disappointed!

I wasn't the only one basking in the warm glow of the sunset, as there were several people along the pier, as well as many families having photoshoots along the beach. It was a gorgeous evening to be out with a camera.

And the next morning, I got the boys up and out the door for a family picture at sunrise before we left Florida. I know I am definitely ready to go back to the beach again!

Sweet Shot Tuesday #98

Yes, I know...today is Friday, not Tuesday, you say. That's okay, though. Have to break out of the box every once in awhile. : )

This is the Silent Sentinel, St. Francis Borgia Regional Church in Washington, Missouri. Sunday I went on a photowalk with a group from the Franklin County Area Photographers, and this image is from the very first snap of my camera that afternoon.

Submission for Sweet Shot Tuesday hosted by My 3 Boybarians.

Silent Sentinel

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Blossoms/Trees}

Last weekend we had mighty thunderstorms roll through the area. After the storms, move on, we could almost hear the rush of the water in the creek from our house, so the boys and I headed down to check it out.

We were not disappointed! The normally dry creek bed was rushing along, full of the rainwater draining from the high hills. The cold water tumbled down the steps of rocks, creating beautiful waterfalls that were the width of the creek.

Nearby, the wildflowers were happy to soak in the sun and the extra nourishment that came flowing by. I believe I also caught a little insect resting on the leaf of this bloom.

This photo is for the Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Blossoms/Trees}.

And the Winner is...

First, more about the art piece...

I am a fan of architecture and the St. Louis Cardinals. One afternoon, a friend and I decided to walk around Downtown St. Louis and capture architectural photographs. And this piece of art emerged from that walk...

The photographs are taken at Busch Stadium and the Eads Bridge, next to the Landing. After searching for the perfect quote to set off the photographs, reading through Jack Buck and others, I decided on the simple, yet poignant, "For the Love of the Game."


The "L" is from the smaller Stan Musial statue outside Busch Stadium.
The "O" is the Cardinal's logo in the wall of the stadium.
The "V" is Eads Bridge just a few blocks from Busch Stadium.
And the "E" is the glove from "Dizzy" Dean's statue.

***

Using the number generator on random.org, I was given the number 11...which is a comment by Diane Schultz. Congratulations, Diane! Email me at tyann@marcinkdesigns.com to claim your prize. Please note that if you do not email me by midnight, April 18th, I will have another comment number randomly chosen.

Thank you, everyone, for playing along and entering the giveaway. I sincerely appreciate your support and comments. Please note that shipping is always FREE on fine art prints, so don't hesitate to grab your own fine art print for yourself...or to give to someone you love.



You can visit my website at www.marcinkdesigns.com.

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Easter/Eggs}

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for an 11x14 fine art print of the St. Louis Cardinals For the Love of the Game in celebration of opening weekend at Busch Stadium! See this post for the details.

---

Our family tradition to decorate Easter eggs:

1. Use crayons to draw squiggles, swirls, pictures, and words.
2. Dip into the PAAS egg colors.
3. Dry off the eggs.

We are so complicated, aren't we? Here is one of the eggs that I decorated. I had first thought to draw just my hubby and I on the egg, but when I accidently drew my head in the wrong place, it became a family drawing...which I actually like better than my original idea. (See our real family photo here.)

The boys colored it orange for me (I had no say in the colors of the eggs since I was snapping pictures), and it went into our arsenal for the big family egg hunt that is then followed by the deviled egg feast.

This photo is for the Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Easter/Eggs}.

St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day {PlusCircleSharePinTweet} Giveaway!

Opening day at Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals is tomorrow!!! And on Saturday, the Cardinals will receive their 2011 World Series Championship rings. Congratulations, Cards, it was an amazing series to watch!

To celebrate, I am giving away an 11x14 print of my wildly popular For the Love of the Game in your choice of a red or white background. Here is what you do to win:

Choose the red or white background and post a comment below on which one you want if you are the winner. Easy enough?

For additional entries:

Plus one this post
Circle me on Google+
Circle Marcink Designs on Google+
Share this blog post on Facebook
Like Marcink Designs on Facebook
Pin this post on Pinterest with your choice of the red or white background
Follow my Marcink Designs Pinterest board
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Blog about this giveaway

Use these buttons for shortcuts or see the sidebar on the right -->

Then, leave a separate comment for each of the things you did. Each comment is an entry into the drawing! Monday morning, April 16th, I will randomly choose a winner from the comments.

Good luck and show your love for the St. Louis Cardinals!

Hristos Voskrese!

Jacob, Tyann, Joey, Mike, and Noah

Our annual Easter family photo. Looks like sitting on the couch is becoming our usual pose.

This is our living room, with my husband's grandmother's artwork in the background. Nina came to the United States from Russia when she was 8 years old. The family tale includes that her family came from a line of royalty...maybe she was a Russian princess?

Nina was wonderfully and artistically talented. Her art was to create rugs. Yes, rugs. She would purchase burlap the size of the rug she wanted to make, whether a small picture size or a large area rug.

Then, she would take wool fabric, many times picking up wool clothing from garage sales, stripping it to small pieces. Nina dyed the wool to the colors she wanted and set to hooking the wool, creating the rug artwork.

Click to the picture to see the details.

Nina's pieces were her own masterpieces. Sometimes she even created pieces mimicking a famous painting. My husband's favorite piece of hers was her rendition of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Unfortunately, that piece was lost after Nina passed away.

We had the piece hanging in our living room professionally framed and cleaned so that we can enjoy it. The scene is of an idyllic countryside, including a horse and buggy, a small village, and birds flying over the mountains. Nina's attention to detail is amazing.

In memory of Nina, Hristos Voskrese (Christ has risen!). He has risen indeed!

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge {Sunshine/Light}

The sun was getting low in the sky, approaching the golden hour, and I was on my first walk with my very new 50mm f1.4 lens. I knew this little garden tucked away in our town's downtown area would be beautiful at this time of day and made my way over to it. The flowering trees and the streaming rays of sunshine did not disappoint me!

For the Leap Into Spring Photo Challange {Sunshine/Light}