Tuesday, June 14, 2016

lightning strike

Score!

I spoke too soon and acted too soon. And now I must pay for my haste. But it wasn't haste. It was thoughtful and took a lot of time. Then it turned out to be haste. Today I decided that I need a lightning detector so I bought one. It will be here in a few days.


I did not realize the app on the telephone does the same thing.

Today two storms passed through. And it was lightning all over the place. The first one I thought would destroy a newly planted garden with serious hail. Very serious. That shows in the first video right off.  The storm marches right up and pow. Then the sky clears so brightly that the infrared phone signal does not register anymore and the camera shuts off.

Then it darkens again and the camera is started again.


The lightning detector that I bought today detects infrared light emitted immediately before the electric discharge of lightning. I didn't know that happens until I researched the detectors.

And the camera is set to accept an infrared signal for a remote shutter device. But the phone is signaling it every minute instead.

The phone keeps the camera going or else the camera would shut off after one minute to save power. The clouds triggered the camera between the timed phone trigger signals.

I noticed one frame of 285 frames is brighter than all the rest and no movement in the clouds. I was considering removing the frame so it doesn't mess up the time-lapse, then saw in the corner it is a lightning strike. Hard to see because it lit the sky. The strike occurs near the end of the second video when the sky turns from gray to gold to blue.


I didn't need to buy the triggering device. The phone and camera combo already does that.

And this is another of those costly 'live and learn' things recategorized as education expense, a large and encompassing category.

The detectors get poor reviews. And now I think I know why. The sky was electric and making lightening for hours but not showing like this one. It needed a good one before it worked. And maybe it's been getting lightning strikes all along but I only noticed it now.

It's a new thing!


Come on, look at that. We photographer types wee ourselves over a photo like this. 

Check out the hail storm that comes and smacks us and moves on and the tornado-like circular pattern happening right in front of us. It looks fast but it lasted a long time.

167 frames

The flash happens near the end. 
286 frames

10 comments:

chickelit said...

Veinglorious!

Chip Ahoy said...

Whachew talk'n 'bout? It occurred despite by abilities not because of them, and I was punished the whole way. I've been waiting for hail like this for three years and it comes ten minutes after completing planting. Punishing! I was so well chuffed and there's hubris prevention ass kicking right there. And then discover the infrared lightning ability an hour after buying an unneeded detector. Hubris ass kicking prevention right there. An unlucky thing and a stupid thing in one story.

There is no vainglory being felt over here, just f'n straigtup GLORY

chickelit said...

I meant that the lightning looked "veiny" and was glorious!

Don't take all the pun out of commenting.

Chip Ahoy said...

Oh. Ha ha.

The Dude said...

Well done. I am still using the "mash the button hope my timing is good" method of photography, and guess what - it still doesn't work.

AllenS said...

A couple of days ago, we had "rolling thunder". Thunder that was constant noise for over a half an hour. No lightning. Sounded like it was very high in the atmosphere, which it probably was.

The Dude said...

I have heard that, AllenS - continuous rumbling, sometimes right overhead, but no obvious nearby lightning strikes or even breaks in the noise. Very disconcerting, especially when one is out in the woods.

AllenS said...

You know, Sixty, after a while you could start to wonder if it's the end of the world.

ndspinelli said...

Allen, The rolling thunder is when storms are forming. Or, it's a bunch of Harley's.

AllenS said...

Nick, it had been storming/raining for hours. Then the rolling thunder with no rain, just heavy cloud cover, and that constant rumbling thunder overhead.