With my plans for Thursday night changing, I decided to see if I could capture lightning in a photo. While I was shutout, I learned quite a bit including how to protect the gear. In this case, I rolled north and set up ahead of a front hoping to capture it going across the St. Croix river. I found a large, extremely sturdy overlook deck and set up under it. The heavy rain brought only occasional drops as I set up. It offered the perfect opportunity to experiment with purpose. Protect the camera, protect the camera, protect the camera. Ponchos for the house!
I did manage to get a couple fun shots experimenting with longer exposures. The shot of the power plant along the river was shot over 30 seconds with the light along the horizon being lightning in the distance. This was my last stop of the night: really an after thought. I pulled into the dark observation area high above Stillwater with only one other car parked on the other side of the large lot. I set up by open car door light rather quickly. As I was programming the camera, I heard rustling below the retaining wall. I didn’t think much of it Being in the woods as much as I am, I hear critters all the time. What I don’t hear all the time are voices. (Ok, sometimes I hear voices but that’s a completely different topic for another time) “No. You’ve got to be kidding.” a male voice said in a hushed tone. Within seconds, a blanketed figure followed by another moved quickly to my left and into the near by forest. I felt bad especially when I only took one shot and got out of there. It was a little uncomfortable. Sorry dude.