Mighty lightning

Photographing lightning can be quite tricky. There is safety concerns, photographic variables and conditions that don't make for easy shooting. But good preparation and knowledge can result into great lightning photos. 

You will need:

      -  a camera which allows you to set manually shutter speed and aperture

      -  a tripod (why you need a tripod)

      -  and a remote control. 

Why a remote control?

      Even if you use a tripod you still will not avoid camera shake without using a remote control, because your camera will vibrate at the moment you press the shutter button. When you shoot at a fast shutter speed, this vibration do not influence the final image, but when you choose long exposure time, objects on the photo – houses, trees, etc – will look blurred.

If you use a remote control, the camera stays untouched, which prevents from appearing 
camera shake effect. If you do not have a remote control, you can make use of self-
timer, though it is not very convenient, as it takes more time to take each shot.

When you see the first lightning flashes in the sky,set the maximum auto shutter speed (it is usually 15 or 30 sec),set aperture at  f14-18 (actually, aperture settings may differ 
depending on the situation, so you will have to experiment before you find the best 
setting), put your camera on a tripod and focus on the part of the sky, where you saw 
lightning flashes. Make sure that your camera is safe from rain drops, since the 
conditions are normally wet and windy. The wind can also have a blurry effect on the 
clouds if your shutter stays open for too long.

When all the arrangements are made, you can start continuous shooting of that part of the sky, where lightning appears from time to time. Keep on photographing and you are 
sure to get a few great images of lightning. Be patient. It takes practice and a lot of shots 
to get the right one because lightning is very unpredictable. But when you get that perfect striking picture, you will know that it was worth the wait.

Whether you're an adrenalin junkie or not, remember you are a victim for being struck 

by lightning if you are close to something tall like pole, on your phone or in an open 

field. Be safe and enjoy the might beauty!

Do it with sparklers

   Since I just had the painting with light show on campus and everyone did something with a sparkler and got to tag themselves on the i like light Facebook page, I thought it would be cool to see what other people came up with, experimenting with sparklers. As well as a tutorial to get the best effects of a sparkler captured on camera.

Jogi Art

Picture Wendy

MG/BS4

                             Try to bring reflective surfaces into the photo for 
                             nice effects. Anything from steel to water works 
                               great for adding that extra touch to a photo

How many lasers is that?

   With a laser show coming soon, I thought it suitable to post about lasers. I would like to

thank Milton (also going by the name 'Better than a sharp stick in the eye' on        

Flickr.com) for posting his photos of experimenting with a laser.

All he used was a laser with 5 different heads, they're not too hard to find.

How to do this yourself:

   Set up your camera on a tripod, and switch the shutterspeed to anything between 1     

and 3 seconds, depending on the amount of detail you want in the photo. Shine the laser against a wall while turning the head to get the moving patterns.

A lot of experimenting can be done with 5 different heads!

Great for the winter when you'd rather stay indoors.

   A different way of using these lasers for a complete different effect is to actually shining it in an area with objects. Not necessarily outside.

Catch a Firework

    Fireworks are always very mesmerizing, whether you watch it from close-by or from far away. You can see celebration in the air. It's one of those experiences you really want to capture on your camera because it's so beautiful.

    It's hard to get a lot of experimental time for photographing fireworks, because it's such an occasional thing and doesn't last very long. So it's hard to get really good firework photos that's doesn't just show that you have seen the fireworks. This tutorial give that extra tips and techniques you need to know before the fireworks start shooting. Enjoy!

Bayasaa

William McIntosh

                   It makes a picture just so much better if you can include 

                   nice architecture, landscape or foreground subjects.

Srichand Pendyala

Paul Niccolls

Deleep George

Steve Siewmei

Water is a great feature to add to the photo if possible.

Reflections of light in water are awesome to work with.