Lightning

**Mystical Potato Head** · 02-Jul-09, 20:27

Managed to hang out the window and get this one.

**astroman** · 02-Jul-09, 20:41

Fabulous capture - how'd you manage to get the timing right?

I resorted to getting the video camera out as I reckoned that would give me the best chance, but even then I seemed to keep aiming in slightly the wrong direction

Congrats on the astrophoto competition win btw. Your pics are on display at Caithness Horizons at the moment - they look great.

**Mystical Potato Head** · 02-Jul-09, 20:47

Pure luck Astroman.Had a fair idea the lightning was in roughly that area and just waited
till i saw a flash and just clicked away,some of the flashes lasted probably a few tenths of a second so i got them but the realy quick ones i missed.
If it was dark i would have got the tripod and taken 20 second exposures and that way i would have been able to get several strikes in the one shot because quite a few times there were several flashes in quick succession.
Thanks on the compitition win,i'm still reading "Cosmos" for the third time now.Fantastic book.

**shazzap** · 02-Jul-09, 22:38

Very dramatic great shot.

**sassylass** · 02-Jul-09, 22:47

Cracking photo

**Sporran** · 02-Jul-09, 23:11

Striking shot, MPH!

**wifie** · 02-Jul-09, 23:18

Now that is what I call a moody sky! Well done MPH!

**tjc** · 03-Jul-09, 00:51

Excellent capture MPH...

Quite a bit of fork lighting out my way today too...

And the rain!!!

**Connor.** · 03-Jul-09, 01:00

Great picture but nowhere near its worst!

**Deemac** · 03-Jul-09, 01:12

Great capture. Most impressive lightning storm I've ever witnessed. Quite scarry I have to admit. Did think about trying to cature this but didn't like the idea of being too close to the window!!

**Mystical Potato Head** · 03-Jul-09, 01:31

Originally Posted by Connor.

Great picture but nowhere near its worst!

Well i apologise for giving a false representation of the storm by posting a little fart of a lightning strike.

**Mystical Potato Head** · 03-Jul-09, 01:34

Deemac,its definately the worst i've seen in this country,spectacular would be an understatement i think.
Anyone know why lightning sometimes is pink in photographs?,there are hundreds of them on flickr.

**ShelleyCowie** · 03-Jul-09, 09:52

Brilliant photo MPH. Similar to the view i had from my house.

**ShelleyCowie** · 03-Jul-09, 10:39

Originally Posted by Mystical Potato Head

Deemac,its definately the worst i've seen in this country,spectacular would be an understatement i think.
Anyone know why lightning sometimes is pink in photographs?,there are hundreds of them on flickr.

This was all i could find. The part in blue, maybe the lighning is red, but it slightly changes colour when photographed??

Lightning takes on a range of colors, depending on conditions in the clouds and in the air.
Blue lightning within a cloud indicates the presence of hail.
Red lightning within a cloud indicates the presence of rain.
Yellow or orange lightning occurs when there is a large concentration of dust in the air.
White lightning is a sign of low humidity (amount of moisture in the air). White is the color of lightning that most often ignites forest fires.

**Doreen** · 03-Jul-09, 14:11

That is a brilliant picture! What a shot! That looks like my house in the backround, is that heathfield road?

**Mystical Potato Head** · 03-Jul-09, 19:37

Thanks for the comments and thanks for the info Shelley.
Doreen,its Sigurd Road.

Here's another i was lucky enough to catch.

**North Light** · 04-Jul-09, 09:21

mph,

Well caught, I was on Dunnet Beach as it started to rain, drove back to Thurso in the worst of it, then tried a few shots of Thurso Bay, not one bolt of lightning caught!