This is a guess.

The cables are much higher in the wind than you were. They were vibrating in the breeze and hence vibrating the pylons, which vibrated the ground in turn. If vibrations like this hit a harmonic (I think that's the right thing to hit) then they can become very powerful.

There are two (one real, one surmised) reasons

cooperating in this case: :

- the voltage between those wires and the ground is

enough to cause such minor vibrations.

- Alistair likes to worry.

Georg

Your description does not make it clear whether the “vibrations” actually were mechanical vibrations of the shaking type, like a guitar string. This would be consistent with Pete’s idea that it might be the wires vibrating in the wind. Otherwise the effect might electrical stimulation, such as other people (including yours respectfully) have described in this forum as having experienced when touching metal surfaces in oscillating electric fields. If the latter, the effect would have vanished if you had donned a dry glove or put a dry plastic sheet between your skin and the metal.

Of the two, I should be more worried about the peril of the physical vibrations; they might accidentally shake a dust particle into your eye. I don’t see the electric field harming you in the slightest, not in the long term, not in the short.

Mind you, you might well find a lot of self-styled, ignorant “experts” blaming everything that happens to you from now on, from MS and menopause to Alzheimer’s and colitis, on those vibes; it is so much more fun than rationally believing that someone is sticking pins into a wax model of your big end.

Then again, if you happened to feel such a tingle in the open in thundery weather, it really might be a good idea to take evasive action asap, in case it turned out to presage a lightning stroke. The fact that it vanished if you moved your tripod suggests that lightning had nothing to do with it.

The high voltage lines created a voltage gradient above you. It's a capacitance effect. A capacitor is just two conductors with an insulator in between. In this case the wires and the ground with air in between.

This causes a slight voltage in the metal of the tripod. Just as if you tried to listen to a radio in that spot there would be a loud buzz.

Whenever there is a slight A/C voltage on a piece of metal, it's very often detectable by running your finger along the surface.

The voltage is higher until you touch it and carry it off to ground. Your nerves can detect these currents down to a few thousandths of an ampere.

This ghost charge is harmless to your body, as most slight shocks are.

Irritating or even fairly strong shocks are harmless as long as there are no after effects, no burns on your skin, and your heart didn't stop.

Most mechanics and television repair men have caught some memorable shocks at work and live to tell about it. I have too.

This youngster in India could feel it from his laptop here's the link.

http://bit.ly/ek1vJS

I am guessing that the vibrations are caused by electric current flowing through the skin to the earthed tripod. This vibration has been discussed on NS before in relation to electric blankets. I have experienced the same vibrations several times and done some simple experiments. In both the following cases the sensation experienced was identical and was only experienced with  a light touch and the effect is most noticeable when gliding the finger over the surface ( i.e. not stationary). Pressing fimly with the finger on an earthing object reduces the effect.

I have experienced it when sitting on a switched on electric blanket and have touched an earthed object, or someone elses skin. This did not work if the other person was isolated (standing on thick rubber).

I have also experienced it when standing on a train station close to over head power lines. The vibrations were noticeable when I touched someone elses face and they certainly noticed it as well. The sensation was increased when I reached my non touching arm up in the direction of the powerlines. The sensation was considerably reduced when I took off my rubber soled shoes and stood on the bare concrete platform (presumably thus earthing myself through sweaty socks). The sensation increased if I kept my shoes on and the other person took theirs off.

How this current flows I am not sure, perhaps induction and presumably the frequency of vibration is related to the frequency of the AC current. It is presumably a very tiny current. Alternatively , the vibrations may be caused by DC current flow being interrupted as one slides ones finger across the earthed object, making and breaking contact.

One certainly gets odd looks standing on a station platform in stocking feet with one arm raised above ones head while touching people around you with the tip of your other index finger!