Time passing us by

I woke this morning thinking about all of the time passing us by.  We wait and put our lives on hold not certain when we will be free to do the things we enjoy.  Creativity fades without the ablitity to travel and explore.  I have always been a person whose focus is on a distance horizon.  I dream and make plans months or years before before I actually do them.  I know these days have changed many lives and we all cope with these changes in our own way.  Living in uncertain times makes us aware of what are the important things in a life.  Give thanks even when you don't feel it.  Help someone with a word a encouragement and don't forget to smile. I hope I can take my own advice.  

Chasing Storms

The summer days in Florida are often interrupted with a spectacular thunderstorm in the late afternoon or evening.  They can be frightening if you are out on the water in a boat of hiking any distance from your vehicle.  I have recently started using a few apps on my cellphone to track and notify me when lightning is moving in my direction.  I find these apps handy to project the movement and direction of the storm and lightning so I can position myself safety from the lightning to be able to photograph.  My exposure is dependant on the time of day and the amount of light I have to work with.  With this image I set my camera for a 30 second time lap exposure with one second in between exposures. This type of exposure is best suited for evening light and can provide some dramatic images.  The daytime lightning can be a bit more of a challenge to determine to exposure and capture the bolts of lightning. I will often use a neutral density filter and set my camera for 4 or 5 second exposure and let the camera make numerous exposures in hope of capturing a nearby lightning strike. Being out in a storm is never safe and if you desire to photograph lightning you need to always keep check of your safety and not get overly involved with your photography where you might lose track of what the storm is doing,