2011 Monsoons are whipping a punch!

So here we go again. The 2011 monsoon season started a few days ago. Of course this is now the busy season for moi. I chase these storms with vigor to capture nature's deadly beauty - a.k.a. lightning. Of course sometimes I don't have to go far at all to capture my sequences. For example, last night - basically in my front yard. Here are just a few still frames from last nights little cell, or was it?

Wild and crazy monsoon storm finally makes it this year!

These shots came about in a little over 3 hours of shooting. Amazingly enough, this time 'round it was like "shooting fish in a barrel". :)

New Storm Stock Footage now available...

Exclusively available through and at Pond5.com from me, the renown and crazy storm chaser. 

Here is a sampling video for ya:

The First 2010 Monsoon that showed its true flare...

Basically this year has been a weak monsoon season in regards to light shows. A couple of weeks ago we had one night of true illumination. Fortunately the vantage point helped as well. Nothing like getting up high with a known view of the mountain ranges around Tucson, yet still safe. I can't emphasize enough that the "safe" part is one of the most crucial components of shooting such wonders. Lightning photography is not for the amateur that knows no common sense. Think about it. You are working usually with this item called a tripod. Tripods make for great lightning rods. So if you attempt this, the very least you should be doing is staying as far away as possible to get the shot. These shots were a good 20 miles from the source. Lenses help. However, these were all shot with a 50mm/F1.2. So you don't need to zoom in either. If you do so, chances are that "Murphy" will make you aim at the wrong spot anyway. Lightning is too unpredictable to even try to zoom in on. Some of the shots (towards the end) do show just how far reaching lightning can be. What I call the "golden arch" shows one long bolt reaching from the end of one mountain range (Rincons) to the end of the other (Catalinas) - A whopping approximate 15 miles! So all I can say is, be careful. Don't go at it alone. And keep your distance. Now enjoy:

The 2010 Monsoon Season Kickoff

Well, well. The 2010 monsoon season finally kicked off. The video above is just a sampling of what's coming. From growing rainbows to gigantic thunderheads to powerful lightning strikes on the horizon. It's a frenzy! Stay tuned.

P.S. The footage you see is also available now as stock footage:

Search Stock Video by Andreas Hohl

View Andreas Hohl's Artist Profile on Pond5

It was a Wednesday, not a Friday the 13th.

It was definitely not a Friday the 13th when this little, and I use the term "little" loosely, storm passed through my backyard. So to speak. This thing literally came out of nowhere in just a short time as monsoons typically do.

But this was one of the easiest times I have ever had in regards to capturing lighting in the form of hi-res still shots. So, now I wonder, is the 13th really a bad luck thing, or as some cultures believe, it may just be real good luck.

This storm passed through in about 50 minutes, or just short of an hour. The shots are in sequence, unmodified or touched up. Dramatic to say the least. Some of you will pick up on the fact of why I had to quit when I did. Just observe the last few shots. Yes, the strikes were getting a bit close, and very loud. Enjoy.

For those of you that are wondering just how to shoot lightning like this, here are some quick notes:

1. Make sure you are a safe distance from the activity!

2. Make sure you are a safe distance from the activity!

3. Use a tripod.

4. Use a camera that has a manual mode.

5. Set the shutter speed to "bulb" (keeps the shutter open for as long as you wish)

6. Set the F-stop to 8.0

7. Make sure you are a safe distance from the activity!

8. Use manual focus!

9. Make sure you are a safe distance from the activity!

10. Set the focus to infinity. (Don't over crank or you will get macro on most lenses, which will in turn give you out of focus, rotten, miserable, garbagey shots - not that this ever happened to me. ;))

11. Make sure you are a safe distance from the activity!

12. Use a remote trigger so that you don't shake the camera.

13. Make sure you are a safe distance from the activity, and by activity I mean specifically lightning! Wow, 13 steps. Coincidence?

Sometimes when shooting you get lucky!

Every once in a while a thought crosses one's mind when you prepare to go out and shoot something. This time I knew I was going to shoot some July 4th fireworks.

Of course one asks, "what's so special about fireworks?" Well, nothing really. I suppose they are pretty when they go off. They make nice explosive sounds. They go boom! But that about covers it. So how can a guy like me make this more exhilarating? More interesting? More...

Understanding that the possibility exists that I might get real lucky due to the monsoon season being in full swing, I thought; "Wouldn't it be cool if I could do a little segment on Man vs. GOD?"

You know, man's little firecrackers vs. the lightning of GOD? Now that would be cool! So off I went with camera (HDV) and camera (Canon XTi) and family in tow. Zoom lenses ready. Tripods ready. Tape loaded. SD chip loaded. Focus all setup - fixed at that, shooting up to 10 miles away! Tricky for sure.

Well, this time I did get lucky, but only after being patient for about 2 hours. Patience is a virtue and the payoff is great! Enjoy.

Monsoons 2008 - A Preview

Just a little taste of what's to come this year. This is a small compilation of some new footage shot just a few days ago along with some older footage. I thought I would give it a bit of a latin guitar twist to enhance the mood of the southwest. In this compilation there is a combo of video stock footage as well as some still shots. All of this of course is available as royalty free stock footage from you guessed it, me.

2008 Monsoons are back and they are going to be bad...

From the looks of it we are in for quite a monsoon season this year. Hence, expect a ton of new storm footage, photographs and adventures. Just in the last few days, I have shot some pretty crazy stuff. But this year I started off in New Mexico on a little side trip. It all started last week while driving to Alamagordo and taking a quick peek at the White Sands National Monument. Of course we got there mid afternoon. I really don't recommend visiting the Sands at that time of day unless it is totally overcast. It wasn't. Talk about being snow blind.

However, that evening was absolutely fantastic. There was a special sunset tour and it was a full moon. However, we really didn't get to enjoy the moon as it was. A storm had worked its way in during the latter part of the day. But this made for some really awsome sunset footage and some really neat pictures. Here is a clip of the sunset in timelapse and HD! Sweet. (Yes, you can purchase this clip and many others as royalty free stock footage.)

Of course, that having been the beginning of this years monsoon adventure, there is nothing like driving through Roswell in hope sof spotting a UFO. We didn't :( Then on to Clovis, home of Cannon AFB and also my new Grand Daughter! I'm too young for this. Nanner Nanner.

But hey, aside from seeing this lovely newborn young lady, I did manage to get a little time to click a few shots of some awsome lightning. The storms on those upper plains are unbelievable. We even had a small tornado whip past us while eating dinner.


On the way back, once again we decided to make a quick stop at the sands, this time it was overcast and definately more bearable. I shot some neat timelapse of a gigantic storm front with lenticulars and cummulus all in one. Then off to spend the night in Las Cruces. Entering Las Cruces we got a free car wash from yet another nice storm with some really powerful lightning bolts. Of course I couldn't film those as I was the driver. Remember, it's not safe to fiddle with a camera, cell phone and a coffee all at once. :)


In any case, this Las Cruces storm was a monsoon, and it gave me an idea of what to look forward to. We got back to the Old Pueblo (a.k.a. Tucson for you "furners") and not even a day went by before the first storm hit. Cool.


So you all know what I will be up to for the next few months. It is afterall the annual monsoon season. So stay tuned as I will be announcing really cool things that I get on tape or as a still. And yes, you can buy copies, rights etc.

VaderVideo royalty free stock footage libraries now available.

Just to answer some of the inquiries after having put some fun clips up on YouTube, VaderVideo is now proud to offer royalty free stock footage for your personal, professional and commercial use.

To date we offer 7 volumes of the Weather and Sky Series:

1. Clouds Volume 1
2. Clouds Volume 2
3. Clouds Volume 3


4. Lightning Volume 1
5. Lightning Volume 2
6. Lightning Volume 3
7. Mega Lightning Assembly Kit 1

Keep checking in for more. We will be producing many more over time and also in the very near future offering this footage up by the clip.

Get legal, stay legal and protect yourself with royalty free products. Don't let yourself get caught up in a copyright infringement scenario. It can get real expensive!