Daytime lightning near Lincoln, Illinois on 9/21/10

By DAN ROBINSON Editor/Photographer

Another belated expedition log to get things caught up! September 21, 2010 was one of many Chicago "standby" lightning storm photography days. These are trips in which I start the drive north on I-55 to get in position for the storm potential over the city. This day, storms were already firing in central Illinois in the late evening, some with intense lightning. Due to the daylight hour, still photography time exposures weren't practical. However, this one storm along the interstate near Lincoln was firing out bolts with such frequency that I decided to give it a try, using short bursts of one-second exposures at a small aperture. I caught a few shots, this one being the best of the bunch.

click to enlarge

Later that night, storms in northern Illinois ended up weakening, so I ended up turning around early near Joliet and heading home. This turned out to be my last Chicago lightning attempt of the 2010 season. In 2010, I made 3 complete round trips to Chicago, and 5 or 6 'check swing' attempts in which I turned around early due to weakening or non-existent storms.