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DAY 26. where i live. lightning from my bedroom window.
DAY 26. where i live. lightning from my bedroom window.
roz


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Collection: 002 - FEB 07. WHERE I LIVE
Camera: Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi
Lens: Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Canon
Location: thru bedroom window at home
Date: Feb 24, 2007
Aperture: F8
ISO: 200
Shutter: 0.6/sec
Galleries: Landscape, Rural
Date Uploaded: Feb 24, 2007

Viewed: 539
Comments: 9
Favorites: 0

 shot thru screen ..
massive storm .. lightning going on for ages really close ... bummer that this is the only one i caught coz i was standing there for more than half an hour waiting for a stunning lightning bolt to capture on film ... there were heaps but i just wasnt quick enough .. then storm went away ..

i'm no expert and there may be better ways to do what i've done, and heaps better results could probably be achieved by processing it differently, but for those of you who want to learn photoshop stuff here's the original and what i did with it ...


i'm not happy with the result but wotever ...
processed thru RAW twice ... once for the sky to make it darker and once for the landscape to brighten it up, give it more contrast and colour ...
in photoshop CS2 i merged the two layers putting the lighter one on the bottom and erasing the darker sky layer so the lighter landscape showed thru ... then i merged the two layers .. i retained the lighter background layer tho .. i had the merged layer on the top and erased bits so the lighter layer showed thru again to create the glow where the lightning hit ... then merged those two layers
i then did an adjustment layer magenta overlay and made opacity maybe 80% which gave a real oomph to the sky .. i then erased using the pen with a black foreground colour in the adjustment layer all the landscape so only the sky was affected by that adjustment layer .. i then selectively saturated the lightning bolt .... i should've made it another colour, but i'm in a hurry now and it'll have to do .. it would've looked a lot better in an orangey/yellow hue with a bit'v a dodge around it to lift it up and draw the eye, but since i didnt do it i'm not sure it would've worked ... i then did a USM at 72% amount and 0.9 radius .. i then resized and did a smart sharpen at 99% amount and 0.8 radius .. i then put on a border, re-sized again and saved for web ..
there are a couple of steps that i havent put in like duplicating a layer so that i can merge another one with it and still retain the one i merged it with, but as you can see i'm having difficulty trying to explain in words something that would be so easy to just show someone .... i've done my best tho ...

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AuthorThread
 02/27/2007 02:08:35 PM
wow, good job on capturing the lighting , its very nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/26/2007 06:27:49 AM
That looks like a cracker of a storm, I love a good thunderstorm like that!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 05:12:05 PM
great capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 04:54:36 PM
Pretty cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 01:41:03 PM
this is awesome! looks like a film being projected onto the side of a wall
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 12:37:56 PM
awsome lighting bolt!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 12:20:37 PM
great capture of the lightning bolt- the light is awesome !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 12:05:08 PM
Wow Roz! I am so impressed at your lightning capture. I've always wanted to do that too -- but I understand you need to leave your shutter open while it all happens, so having your camera in exactly the right place at the right time seems like a very daunting task. You did great -- especially in processing it to bring out the lightning.

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2007 12:38:40 AM
If you can stop down the aperture, decrease the ISO setting, and use a tripod, or put the camera on something, you can make the exposure time much longer. Then, you just keep clicking away, and sooner or later lightning will strike while the shutter is open. It's so bright that it will generally overcome any other light in the image. If you are shooting a daytime storm, all of the above plus a polarizer or ND filter will help with making exposure times longer.
I like the effect with the straight screen lines contrasting with the jagged lightning bolt.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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