# cool photo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374 "2003-08-06T18:00:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/1 "2003-08-06T18:00:46Z")
[Lightning strikes Sears Tower](http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/photo.asp?section=SearchResults&photoId=386121) ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/2 "2003-08-06T18:10:57Z")
That is cool. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/3 "2003-08-06T18:25:18Z")
Caramba! ---
**Author:** ![OESGal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecae2f/32.png) [@OESGal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OESGal)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/4 "2003-08-06T19:57:04Z")
Wow! How did they capture that I wonder? Was it a person taking it, or camera set to go automatically or something? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/5 "2003-08-06T20:31:00Z")
That is pretty cool, I have to admit. ---
**Author:** ![yoyo3500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5daacb/32.png) [@yoyo3500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyo3500)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/6 "2003-08-06T20:46:49Z")
zoid, you don’t have to admit anything. Everything you say can, and will be held against you.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/7 "2003-08-06T21:00:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OESGal \* > \*\*Wow! How did they capture that I wonder? Was it a person taking it, or camera set to go automatically or something? \*\* On a fiarly dim/dark day you can leave your shutter open for a long time (say 5-10 mintues) and you’ll capture any lightening strikes that happen during that time. That’s why you see postcards that show several bolts at what _appears_ to be the same time, though they are probably a few minutes apart. It’s easier at night when you’re less likely to over-expose the film. ---
**Author:** ![LookitMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@LookitMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LookitMe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/8 "2003-08-06T21:31:32Z")
Wow! That IS cool! ---
**Author:** ![misstee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/9 "2003-08-06T22:16:18Z")
I had never thought of taking pictures of lightning at night, great idea **Eats\_Crayons**. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/10 "2003-08-06T22:48:21Z")
I think I see the face of Jesus in that first set of bumps in the lightning bolt…or maybe it’s Willie Nelson… ---
**Author:** ![Verick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ea666f/32.png) [@Verick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Verick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/11 "2003-08-06T22:57:23Z")
Probably more along the lines of having the shuter set for 20-30 seconds, and using a slow film, ISO 100, or 50 extends how long you can leave the shutter open based on your lighting conditions. I would guess its probably a 10 to 15 second exposure taken under low light conditions during an evening storm. The way you take pictures of lighting is to wait for a storm to come by that has alot of it, and set your camera up on a tripod and focus in on the location you want, and start taking your pictures. It may take 2 or three rolls of film before you capture a good strike, considering the height of the sears tower, it probably gets all the time, making it a very good spot to try to photograph lightining. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/12 "2003-08-06T23:58:41Z")
The other advantage of using a slow film is that the grain size will usually be very much finer and this is useful because you don’t know exactly where the lightning will strike, so you’re quite likely to end up cropping the picture. You can also use a grey filter to slow the film further. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/13 "2003-08-06T23:59:43Z")
Slow the exposure, rather. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-photo/193374/14 "2003-08-08T04:57:52Z")
In theory, it would also work to use a newer camera with an electronic shutter release, and instead of a standard remote, use an optical slave (like you attach to multiple flash units so they all go off together without being wired to each other).