Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1890 — PHOTOGRAPHING LIGHTNING. [ARTICLE]

PHOTOGRAPHING LIGHTNING.

How It May Be Done by Amateur Students pf ilie Camera. At a recent meeting of the English Photograph club Air. W. Marriott, fellow of the Royal Meteorological society, was requested to draw up instructions ; for taking photographs of lightning. The following brief rules are offered.: 1. The camera should be focused during the daytime to some distant object and a mark made on the camera, so that fit night it may be quickly adjusted | when a storm is approaching. 2. A •{•■rapid rectilinear lens, with full aperj ture, should he used. 3. The camera ; should he directed to the part of the j sky where the lightning is most likely !to occur. 4. The camera should be j firmly screwed to the tripod stand. 5. j It may he necessary to tilt the camera • slightly, especially if the lightning be J mostly in the zenith; if this be done a j note should be made of the amount of | inclination. 6. A portion of laud- ] scape, roof, chimneypot, etc., should, : if possible, he included on the plate; if | this cannot be done' the top of the 1 plate should be carefully marked be- ; fore it is removed from the dark slide, j 7. The exact time of each flash, the ! interval in seconds between the light- ! ning and thunder, and the point of the compass in which the flash appeared should all be carefully recorded. 8. It is desirable that there should only be one flash on each 9. • If eir=~ cumstances permit two cameras should he used—one fixed on the tripod stand and the other held in the hand—and two separate photographs obtained of the same flash, 10. It would he very interesting and valuable if two or more photographers could obtain pictures of the same flash from different points of view. By this means it might be possible to determine accurately the distance of the flash, and also its movements in the atmosphere. •