Life of an insomniac: the lightning chaser
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Top photographers can spend days, even weeks setting up a shot. I don’t know that I have either the patience or aptitude – I’m an opportunist and shoot what I see.
A few evenings back I left a 40th birthday party at around 11.30pm. Driving home, I saw the intermittent flash of lightning to the south. Fortunately I had both my camera and a tripod with me, which led to me taking a detour in search of a good vantage point from which to shoot.
Shortly after midnight I found myself on a dirt road beneath some power cables, and overlooking Tembisa township even further south. The electrical storm was raging, but the rain hadn’t broken, and so I set up my gear a short way into the veld. Violent, beautiful summer thunderstorms are typical of South Africa’s Highveld. The downside is that it is potentially dangerous to be out shooting on one’s own (at any time of day, but especially after dark).
After 15 minutes or so I noticed a police van turn off the main road, and trundle down towards me.
“What are you doing out here so late at night,” asked the cop suspiciously. “Are you a land surveyor or something?”
Even though several witty answers flashed through my mind, I explained exactly what I was really doing – and showed him a few of the pics I’d already taken. I’ve learnt that policemen don’t take well to humour or sarcasm while on the job. It wasn’t a great spot – with ants crawling in my slops, and biting my ankles, and so I followed him out towards the highway and home.
But then I turned around. I don’t sleep much, so didn’t see the point of driving straight home. Looking on my phone’s map app I found a road that should have led me home the long way around, but that still seemed to be taking me towards the lightning. It turns out iPhone maps really are as bad as everyone says they are because I ended up in a dead-end, with the township right ahead of me.
Again I traipsed into the veld. And then the heavens opened. I waited in the car for twenty minutes or so, comforted by the fact that all potential muggers would be quietly under cover and not out looking for an insomniac photographer to rob. I shot through the windscreen a bit but, with no end of the rain in sight, reluctantly pointed my car towards home. I did stop a few more times, jamming the tripod in place, and shooting through an open side window.
I was in bed by 3.30am – tired enough to actually fall asleep.
(All photos are as shot, apart from levels correction. I don’t see the point using Photoshop to clone and manipulate the images. Like I said, I shoot what I see. And you see what I shoot … You may want to click on photos for bigger versions.)
Lightning and power lines towards Tembisa
Blue lightning
In the veld before the rain
Rain-splattered in the veld
Driving home down the dirt road
Double strike – waiting out the storm
Lightning curtain through the driver’s window
Big strike over Irene Village Mall
19 Comments on “Life of an insomniac: the lightning chaser”
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They called me weed
I have been blogging here since around April 2011 - my little place on the blogosphere to express myself creatively. As a teenager I used to write a diary - in fact, as a 17-year-old living in Belgium, I wrote religiously every day. Fortunately the Internet didn't exist back then because my ramblings as a teenager were ever-so-slightly dark, cynical and depressing. You won't find much of that here. Also, mostly, I try not to get too deep or philosophical in this forum - I'd like my photography to uplift and inspire, and, where I can, I try to bring a bit of humour into my writing too. I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively and have made many friends across the globe. This is my spot to keep in touch with them.
Hi Robin, these are seriously cool pics and not easy to shoot. Stunning! Like your new profile pic.
Thanks Debbie … I’ve been wanting to take lightning photos for a while… Pleased they semi worked!
Wow!
je commence un peu à en avoir marre de ne plus savoir quoi dire quand je regarde tes photos
en fait, je reste juste la bouche ouverte en faisant waow, mais c’est juste une explosion de sensations visuelles, rassemblées en un seul mot : waow (mot débile, il faut bien l’avouer…)
Ha ha ha. Merci quand même.
These photos are great, thanks for giving us the story behind the pictures letting us follow along in your journey.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and to look at the pics!
You have it back!!!!! Yey!!!!!!!! Great shots!
Wow! I perticularly like the second one. They’re awesome!
Well thank you, Andrew…
Some great shots, love lightning and photographs of it even more so but sadly we don’t get much of it down here in the Cape.
Beautiful. Miss the highveld thunderstorms
And we have been having so many of them lately!
You’re obviously crazy but I particularly liked the double strike! At least you got good results for you sleepless efforts!
Do everything for the shot but safety first my friend. Great lightning shots. I’ve never attempted these types of shots. Did you find it difficult timing the lightning shots? What’s your method?
Hi Nando… So, I don’t know if this is the “correct” method, but it’s how I did it… Obviously you need a tripod. I also used an infrared remote. I basically just looked at where most of the lightning seemed to be happening and set my camera up towards it – trying to use the power pylons as focal points. Then, I shot at about f21 for anything between 7 and 15 seconds, on 100 ISO. Voila, as simple as that. One can kind of judge when the lightning is going to strike, but on the night I shot these there was so much lightning I really couldn’t miss!
Thanks! I always wondered how exactly people would often get such beautiful lightning shots. I surmised it was either perfect timing, luck or burst shots. Seems like a no-brainer but burst shots should’ve been my first choice. One day I’ll try the same.
By the way, my first DSLR was the D90 and still use it. What happened to yours now that you’ve upgraded?
Brilliant. Love these, and the one with water (on the lens?) is neat as the water connects you to the action. Very few lightning storms in Melbourne. Makes me more than a little envious!
The water is on the lens. I was desperately trying to shield the camera with my body as I got more and more soaked. Eventually I just hid out in my little car… But ja, I also like the effect, thanks!