Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1890 — PHOTOGRAPHING LIGHTNING. [ARTICLE]

PHOTOGRAPHING LIGHTNING.

How It Majr Bo Done by Amateur Star dent* of the CumeVa. A.« rec-nt meeting of the English Phptogr*ph club Mr. W. Marriott, fellow of the Royal Meteorological society, was requested to draw up instructions lor taking photographs of lightning. The following brief rules are offered: 1. The camera should be ■ focused during the daytime to some distant object ac_ J a mark made on the camera, so that at night it may be quickly adjusted when a storm is approaching. 2. A rapid rectilinear lens, with full aperture, should be used. 3. The earnest should be directed to the part of the sky where the lightning is most likely to occur. 4. The camera should be firmly screwed to the tripod stand. 5 It may be necessary to tilt the earner* slightly, especially if the lightning bg mostly in the zenith; if this be done a note should be made of the amount of inclination. 6. A portion of landscape, roof, chimneypot, etc., should, if possible, be included on the plate; If this cannot be done the top of the plate should be carefully marked before it is removed from iho dark slide. 7. The exact time of each flash, the interval in seconds between the lightning arid thunder, and the point the compass in which the dash appeared should all he careful:y r corded. S. It is desirable that th... e should only be one flash on each plate. 9. If circumstances permit two cameras sbothfi be used—one fixed on Um tripod stand and the other held in the har.d—and two separate photographs obtained of the same flash. 10. it would bq very interesting and valuable if two or mors photographers could obtain pictures ol the same flash from dim rent points oi view. By this means it might be possible to determine accurately the distance of the flash, and also its movements i» the atmosphere.