Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning

It all started about 2am. Flashes of light outside but no associated noises. An interesting display of clouds, backlit by the lightning. I tried to go back to sleep, but after about 15 min, decided that this display was going to be around long enough to take photos. So it set up my tripod in front of the window and starting taking photos. I experimented with exposure times of 2, 5, 10, 20 seconds using f/5.6 to f/8.0. Most were shot with 5 second exposure at f/5.6 or f/6.3.

The shorter exposure time keeps the accumulated background back-lit clouds from hiding the lightning. So there I stood for 2.5 hours, taking photos every 5 seconds. Probably took 600 - 700 exposures. And saw lots of interesting patterns. Here are the selected results

Rather striking back-lit clouds - 2:28 am

Above Anchorage

Forked lightning

From a cloud

In the distant wherever

Dark - but some activity on the left

Cropping the lighting on the above left

Back-lit clouds

Two lightning traces - almost parallel - to the left, interesting back-lit clouds

Back-lit clouds

Back-lit clouds

Lightning over The Anchorage

Back-lit clouds

The backlit clouds were simply beautiful. Their shape, the lighting and the movement (I made a video for several minutes. I'll try to prepare it for this page)

Look at the difference between the image below and the one above. The time difference was about 30 seconds. Same cloud formations, but more intense backlighting - and a streak of lightning that appears to originate from the top of the right black (unback-lit) cloud.

About 30 seconds later - just back-lit clouds

Patterns of back-lit clouds

Lightning between clouds (near the center)

Branching lightning

Interesting lighting of back-lit clouds

Back-lit clouds to the right and focused lighting to the left

Multiple lightning (near left center)

Cloud - to - Cloud lightning

Horizontal lighting

Branching lightning above Anchorage

Two eyes: one dark and one light

Back-lit clouds

Lightning over The Anchorage

Lightning over The Anchorage

Dark back-lit cloud

Cloud patterns

Cloud patterns - almost layers of clouds

Between cloud lightning

Faint lightning above the back-lit clouds (right of center)

Back-lit clouds

Lightning over The Anchorage

Here I've changed the orientation of my camera - now directed left of The Anchorage - shooting over Alexandra Ave. Wonderful back-lit clouds

Lightning and back-lit clouds

Back-lit clouds and a several strokes of lightning

A long branching streak of lightning

Very little back lighting

Mostly back-lit clouds

Very little back-lighting of clouds - just a hole with lightning

Local lighting and lightning

Lightning to the right

Lighting to the left and back-lit clouds to the right

Mostly back-lit clouds. By now, I realized that there is a compromise in taking these photos. The lightning (when it happens) is not very bright because I'm taking a 5 sec exposure and must use a smaller f to prevent the back-lighting of clouds from dominating the image. By now, I realized that there is a compromise in taking these photos. The lightning (when it happens) is not very bright because I'm taking a 5 sec exposure and must use a smaller f to prevent the back-lighting of clouds from dominating the image. This image is a good example. There is lighting to the left and a bright back-lit cloud cluster in the center. The actual lightning was quite dramatic - not dim as it appears here

Isolated single lightning bolt

Three on the left - one on the right

Branching lightning

Super branched lightning

Lone strand

Another lone strand

From the left

Cluster lightning

Backlit clouds and lightning to the left

Branching - I wonder why lighting branches like this (because it takes paths of least resistance) but what makes the resistivity vary?

Dark lightning

Bright lightning

A small segment

Just lightning

What follows is more of the same. I watched (mostly with great wonder and curiosity) for about 3 hours. Only so many ways to describe a dark night with back-lit clouds and occasional lightning (but never heard any thunder so that lightning must have been quite far away

High flying lightning

Flighting from a cloud (left) and high lighting (upper right)

Vertical lightning

Branched lightning

Quiet clouds

Branching lightning

Reaching up

Same exposure (5 sec) as above but what a difference in back-lighting

Starburst lightning

Racing to the right

From above

Vertical branching

Bright backlight and branchiing lightning

Lighting (left) and bright back-lighting

Many branches

Calm lightning

Upper right lightning

Non-descript patterns

Back-lit clouds

Race to the upper right

Lone lightning

Left lightning - the interval between visible lightning is becoming longer so off to bed - its 3:54 am

C. Frank Starmer

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