Getting lucky on the first try was just so cool. Having only had my reliable Sony DSC-F717 I needed to prove to myself that what some had said could NOT be done, could. The Sony only has a few functions regarding leaving the shutter open for a while. After all, it is a fully automatic camera with a little bit of allowance here and there. Everywhere I had read that people only shoot with film cameras. You know, 35mm type stuff. But I kept questioning that and wondered why? I mean digital technology is pretty cool and powerful too.

So I broke down, yes, and actually read the Sony manual. After a bit of experimentation I finally found the settings I needed to try to get some shots. But my window was only 30 seconds, then wait another 30 seconds for the camera to process. That's a whole minute! Many lightning strikes can happen in that time - a loss. :(

I figured, what the hell, try any ways. Lo and behold - the results. Yes I got lucky! Not just once, but several times as you can well see. I was now hooked. But I needed more control. Enter the Canon Rebel XTi. This now became a quest. I had been filming lightning for days on video, but the frames on a video cam are just not enough resolution. I needed more!

The soundtrack is a loop of one of the actual lightning videos (Lightning Dance Version 2) on Youtube. Enjoy.

All images here were shot with a Sony DSC-F717 at high resolution. Amazing detail for a camera with limited functions. Some images are for sale via VaderVideo on eBay when applicable. Check to see if they are listed along with many other imagery products.

Some of my sponsors and in some cases good information about photography, videography and how to's. (not guaranteed, as this is fully controlled by Google.com - will most likely open up to a new window.):