Could you explain more what you mean by that?
wasted space in a wide angled shot when shooting storms that you have to crop
“wasted space in a wide angled shot”…
Seems to me that the wider the angle you cover, the greater chance there is of capturing lightning strikes. If you know the “scene” that you’d like to capture, you plan for that and hope the lightning happens where you want it.
Lovely captures - were they long time exposures, or how did you guess where the lightning was most likely to strike? Products like the “Lightning Bug” can make this easier. The shutter fires every time the device senses the infrared radiation that precedes a lightning strike, even in daytime when time exposures are not possible. Lots of wasted shots, as the device is very sensitive, even to lightning that you can’t see.
Used to use invertalometer sometimes just remote release.
Moved to triggers.
Have Stepping Stone Lightning trigger the rolls royce, Lightning Bug the weather proof option and strike finder which struggles during day.
Sensitivity can be set on first two.
Exposures depend on intensity of storm. Sometimes 30 seconds.
Device
Canon Canon EOS R6
Lens
RF15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM
Aperture
ƒ/5.6
Focal length
15.0 mm
Exposure time
2.5 second(s)
ISO
100
Personally, I don’t have a problem with the shots you have shown here. Sometimes “negative space” can really help by demonstrating the scale of things.
Both of your shots require the space. The first one to allow that wonderful Cirrus-like sweeping cloud and the second to record multiple flashes, which makes it feel more like a storm and not just a singe flash.
Oh, and I love the way you’ve got space in the foreground sea to show the reflection of the strike.
This???
Only $5, but it is an app.
What are your thoughts on the Lightning Bug? It mounts on the camera, and automatically captures flashes, at whatever settings you use. For night, maybe I’ll use 30 seconds.
Narrung South Australia by the lighthouse
LB still working out sensitivity but ability to function in rain or light rain is why i got it.
I think FarmerPhotos already has cropped those empty spaces he talks about.
I suppose that is always going to be a problem when you have the entire sky for the lightning to strike and no way of predicting where 
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Or, for those who can afford it, buy a Nikon Z9 and capture the lightning flash after you see it!
Me? I’ll stick with the Lightning Bug, which is mounted to my D3 Nikon.
If you were referring to me, we were talking about the tools to capture lightning strikes, and Nikon seems to have come up with a way to make those tools obsolete - or did you even read the link?
MM, of course.
Describing another user as ‘toxic’, even if you disagree with that user, is unacceptable in my opinion.
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A good friend semi retired semi pro been in photography in most of his 70yrs uses LR PL and Topaz.
For your type of weather photography PL is the best by far, many of the supposedly better features are really not of little relevance to you.
AI etc will do zero except make your photos look exactly that AI.
Im gradually searching the forum and going back for hands on info.
I openly admit some of it is above my head do Not shy away from that.
Always always under expose in camera and fix later every now and then you get a belter of a lightning bolt close by thats blows everything out to unfixable and underwear gets changed.
Trying most of the tools some results good some terrible. @Joanna with fine contrast tips wow that helps my pics. Less is more with so much of PL im finding.
Thanks for the forum sorry for the novel. Another round of storms monday may or may not post again but read each morning having coffee latest posts.
Cheers from australia
The more photos you post, the more feedback you get.
If you don’t post, there is no feedback.
To me, Joanna’s posts are far more than mere feedback. She not only understands things so well, but is wonderful at posting her thoughts in a way that is almost always easy to relate to.
Joanna is also one of the posters here who works at bringing more out of the photographer. I wasn’t sure how helpful Mark’s suggestions were at first, but finally that grew on me. Wolfgang is like a walking encyclopedia. And it’s wonderful to hear back from as many people as possible.
Occasionally, I can satisfy Joanna’s and Mark’s suggestions.
I have never yet, ever, satisfied @Wolfgang’s suggestions.
Creating a photograph is the first part.
It is helpful to get people’s reaction to the photograph.
I think that’s part of how we learn.
I totally agree with you Joanna, thanks for these pictures “Farmer photos”