I don't know why I have this obsession with sunflowers and lightning--but i do!
Drove all the way to Goodland KS last night to try to catch some lightning behind the sunflower fields out there. Results werent quite as good as i hoped for, but at least i didn't come home empty handed! It's tough cause you have to get the right field (one that is accessible from the road) lined up with the right storm (suitably electric but not on top of you) and the flowers hardly ever cooperate by facing the camera! But its great training, i tell ya. Here's one an hour before sunset, i was firing off a few dozen 1 second exposures at f/9
Yea, well worth the 500 mile drive to me Stan. Glad to hear that you didn't give in to technology with that 5DmkII
Posted by John Mumaw on August 15, 2011 at 8:30 PM
Wow!
Now these domestic sunflowers are a whole 'nuther story. I think it was worth your drive. Really creative, unique and powerful images here.
My nod goes to #2 with those amazing clouds and spectacular horizontal lightning! The movement of the sunflowers adds dynamic power that 'still' flowers just couldn't convey.
Bravo!
Thanks for drivin' Stan, these are awesome! If I had to choose, I think #1 is my favorite. It makes me feel that sort of brooding calm you get watching an approaching storm, whereas the others feel more like terror. Which is not to say they aren't amazing....
Posted by Kurt Bowman on August 15, 2011 at 8:41 PM
Stan, all three of these are unique and each have something awesome about them, but the clouds in #2 b out blew me off my seat with the energy and power of it. I agree with John about the blowing flowers adding to that feel and make a lot of sense in the shot.
Posted by Chris Martin on August 15, 2011 at 9:26 PM
Wowza! Who ever said nothing good comes out of Kansas! Absolutely stunning...all 3 are jaw droppers. Thanks for posting them, Stan.
Posted by Grant Collier on August 15, 2011 at 10:32 PM
Holy snikeys, Batman! Great stuff. The neon purple from my screwy monitor profile looks kinda cool in these shots, but I'm sure it will be even better when I fix things.
Posted by Art Escobado on August 15, 2011 at 10:57 PM
The freeze flash technique is great!! I'm totally gonna break rank and say #3 does it for me. Yeah it's nutz driving this far...but I think you got some keepers here.
Posted by Sarah Marino on August 16, 2011 at 12:03 AM
Wow, Stan, #2 is just awesome. The movement in the flowers is perfect to help with the feel of being in a storm like this.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on August 16, 2011 at 1:51 AM
I'd go with #3 if I had to choose just one. The clouds in #2 are really nice but I prefer how the flowers were frozen and sharpness was maintained with the flash on the final one.
Posted by Todd Caudle on August 16, 2011 at 9:53 AM
It's all in the fun that made the 500-miler worth it, plus you came back with some killer shots. On that first one, is that several bolts within a 1-second exposure?
Posted by Jeff Hackett on August 16, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Tons of drama in #2, love it! Excellent series.
Posted by Stan Rose on August 16, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Todd--yeah, as i recall it was a quick flurry of bolts! I think of the 50+ exposures I shot off, I only got about two others with strikes, and they were both single bolts. Unfortunately, the storm just started getting active just as it was moving out of the way (was moving to the right here) so if I turned the camera the flowers would have been facing away--this exposure was towards the end of the 50+ i took!
The second two are from a second field 15 miles further south, from a new storm that was coming in from the Southwest.
Posted by Pam Colander on August 16, 2011 at 11:53 AM
That second one is just evil-looking! Hope you weren't the tallest thing around
Posted by Doug Koepsel on August 16, 2011 at 12:45 PM
The cloud and lightning action in #2 is certainly the best. While the blurred sunflowers convey a stormy windiness, I am uncertain about liking the blurr.
Discussion
23 repliesDrove all the way to Goodland KS last night to try to catch some lightning behind the sunflower fields out there. Results werent quite as good as i hoped for, but at least i didn't come home empty handed! It's tough cause you have to get the right field (one that is accessible from the road) lined up with the right storm (suitably electric but not on top of you) and the flowers hardly ever cooperate by facing the camera!
Now these domestic sunflowers are a whole 'nuther story. I think it was worth your drive. Really creative, unique and powerful images here.
My nod goes to #2 with those amazing clouds and spectacular horizontal lightning! The movement of the sunflowers adds dynamic power that 'still' flowers just couldn't convey.
Bravo!
The second two are from a second field 15 miles further south, from a new storm that was coming in from the Southwest.