# My first lightning strike picture **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340 "2005-10-21T21:50:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/21 "2005-10-22T22:10:28Z")
The best I can do to get pictures of lightning is to use my video camera to record lightning strikes, then capture stills from the frames where lightning was recorded. Due to limitations with an NTSC video signal, this doesn’t make for optimal results, but it’s better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/22 "2005-10-22T22:26:28Z")
Figured I’d stick up the rest, even though the focus on them isn’t so great (IIRC, these were all shot with the telephoto lens) but some pretty nifty strikes, anyway. [http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/3049/IMG\_1454ForWeb.jpg](http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/3049/IMG_1454ForWeb.jpg) [http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/8440/IMG\_1415ForWeb.jpg](http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/8440/IMG_1415ForWeb.jpg) [http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/1249/IMG\_1404ForWeb.jpg](http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/1249/IMG_1404ForWeb.jpg) [http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/2750/IMG\_1375ForWeb.jpg](http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/2750/IMG_1375ForWeb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/23 "2005-10-22T22:31:08Z")
Another vote for the unretouched version as the more dramatic. Very, very cool! ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/24 "2005-10-22T22:41:39Z")
One last one (I promise) - I just really liked the whole lightning-through-the-cloud look. [http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/7382/img1337forweb5ze.jpg](http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/7382/img1337forweb5ze.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/25 "2005-10-23T01:50:05Z")
> [@feppytweed](#): > > If it’s ok with you, I think I’ll use them as backgrounds for my computer. > > Great work! I’m putting that second one in my screen saver rotation. Way cool Ben Franklin! ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/26 "2005-10-23T02:24:26Z")
Another vote for the un-retouched version. If you want to get back some foreground detail, make an adjustment layer in Photoshop, tweak it until the foreground looks nice, then put a gradient into the adjustment layer’s transparency channel. If you do the gradient just so, only the foreground of the underlying layer will be affected. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_The\_Younger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d9b06d/32.png) [@Paul\_The\_Younger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_The_Younger)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/27 "2005-10-23T05:18:47Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Another vote for the un-retouched version. > > If you want to get back some foreground detail, make an adjustment layer in Photoshop, tweak it until the foreground looks nice, then put a gradient into the adjustment layer’s transparency channel. If you do the gradient just so, only the foreground of the underlying layer will be affected. Good tip **squeegee**. Another option, if you’re good with the pen tools and you have a well-defined horizon like that, is to draw a path outlining the foreground as closely as you can. Make your path a selection with a slightly feathered edge, and then tweak the selection. I’m a big fan of a good storm photos…nice job! ---
**Author:** ![woodstock989](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f05b48/32.png) [@woodstock989](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstock989)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340/28 "2005-10-23T06:05:37Z")
Those are so cool. I love watching lightning. Not to be morbid, but when I was a kid a cousin of mine (who I didn’t know well and rarely ever saw) was struck, and killed by lightning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-lightning-strike-picture/327340.md?page=1)