My first try to freeze lightning

There was a sudden thunderstorm over Bued River a few nights ago, and I took the opportunity to practice my first lightning shots. Being a newbie at this subject, I initially dialed in exposure parameters of f/11 (for more DOF), ISO 100 (for least noise) and 30 sec (to cast a wider exposure net), thinking that lightning was supposed to be blindingly bright. 

However, the lightning bolts were registering too dark in my first attempts even down to f/5.6, and I had to open up to f/4 to get the sky exposure I want. In the image below, focus was on the cement silos - luckily, the near gravel mound and the lightning bolts in the far distance turned out to be decently sharp at the pixel level, kudos to the amazing optics of the EF 16-35 f/4 L IS.

To give us a sense of scale, the three cement silos are over 20 meters high from the ground (6 storeys high), not including the lightning arrester.

Imaging this heavenly phenomenon simply involves framing the dark scene consistent with good composition, and leaving enough space for the sky which becomes the blank canvas for the lightning formation. Then,  the shutter is opened over a 30 second period, with the fervent hope that something very interesting happens within that time window.

Similar to what Forrest Gump said, lightning photography is like a box of chocolates - you'll never know what you'll get, at least until you can review the shot through the camera's LCD. For the vast majority of the frames I took, there was no lightning captured, only dark skies.

Looks like I'm getting hooked on this thing and might be inspired enough to chase thunderstorms more often (with better foreground) in the future.

Shooting info - Bued River, Rosario, La Union, Philippines, August 17, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + EF 16-35 f/4 L IS, 16 mm, f/4, ISO 100, 30 sec,
manual exposure in available light, tripod/gear head, near full frame resized to 800 x 533 pixels.

Please click this 1575 x 1050 version for higher resolution and image quality.

Building a highway under the moonlight

I was observing the production of concrete at Ten-Four’s ultra-modern batching plant in  Rosario, La Union (Philippines) recently, as it supplies the basic building material to the on-going construction of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).
 

(Incidentally, my handle in various photo forums is “liquidstone” and this has reference to my field of expertise before I retired. Concrete of course behaves as a liquid when fresh and flowable, thus it can be easily molded into any size and shape of structure. When set and cured, it becomes as hard as stone and is extremely durable to last for many decades and even centuries.)
 

At about half past 7 in the early evening,  the moon rose in  the east beyond a hill. I thought the moonlit sky above the cement silos, coupled with the dynamism of heavy equipment in full operation at night, would provide a photogenic moment.
 

I quickly set up my 5D MIII + EF 16-35 f4 L IS on top of a tripod and gear head and took several frames with long exposures. The image posted below is my favorite of the bunch. I chose a Tv of 30 seconds to capture light trails and equipment motion blur, as well as to properly expose the darkish areas of the scene. An Av of f/9 assured enough DOF to render near and far objects sharp, while an ISO of 100 gave me optimum dynamic range and least noise.
 

I do most of my photography in the supertelephoto realm, but its amazing sharpness from edge-to-edge is quickly turning the EF 16-35 f4 L IS into one of my favorite lenses.

 

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Shooting info - Bued River, Rosario, La Union, Philippines, July 31, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + EF 16-35 f/4 L IS, 16 mm, f/11, ISO 100, 30 sec,
manual exposure in available light, tripod/gear head, AWB, near full frame resized to 800 x 533 pixels.

1575 x 1050 version