How to Photograph Lightning

Lightning is one of the hardest photographic subjects to shoot successfully. It's great fun but you need a fair bit of luck to capture a well exposed, well composed scene filled with interesting lightning bolts.

The key to getting good shots is to be well prepared and get the camera's settings just right. After that it's a case of being patient and taking enough photos to give yourself a good chance that one or two will hit the mark.

Before heading out in search of a storm, you'll need the following equipment:

Digital SLR - Compact cameras respond too slowly and don't give you enough control over their settings, making a DSLR a must for lightning photography.

Sturdy tripod - You'll be using long exposures (perhaps 30 seconds or more), so some sort of camera support is essential.

Cable/remote release - Pressing the shutter button by hand causes vibrations which can result in a blurry photo. A cable or remote shutter release will eliminate this problem.

Lens - Lightning can be photographed using almost any focal length lens, but a wide angle zoom (around 28-150mm) gives a good range of possibilities. Make sure the lens has a switch to put it into manual focus mode, as you'll be using that to lock the focusing at infinity.

You want to position yourself around 6 to 10 miles away from the storm. Getting closer can be dangerous, and makes it difficult to shoot the lightning effectively. Setting up any further away can lead to the strikes appearing too small or dull in the final photo.

The easiest way to judge how far away you are is to count the time between a lightning bolt and the crack of thunder. At a distance of 6 miles this time is 30 seconds.

Try to position yourself at right angles to the storm so that it moves across your field of view rather than towards or away from you. This is safer and keeps the storm in view for longer, giving you a better chance of getting some good pictures..

If possible, stay under the cover of a building or overhang. This will keep you and your equipment dry if you get hit by a sudden downpour.

For safety, don't stand within 50 feet of any tall objects like trees, overhead cables, or metal poles. Similarly, don't use an umbrella. If shooting from a distance less than 6 miles, it's best to do so from within a building or car.

A lightning bolt lasts just a fraction of a second, and I used to wonder how photographers and their cameras could react quickly enough to capture them. As it turns out, they can't. However, each initial strike is closely followed by a series of secondary bolts, and it's these you capture.

Begin by setting up your camera on its tripod and connecting the cable/remote release. Watch the storm for a few minutes and note where most of the activity is taking place, and which direction the storm is moving.

Aim your camera at the point with most lightning bolts, or slightly ahead so that you can follow its movement. Looking through the viewfinder, choose a focal length that includes the lightning in the frame and which gives a pleasing composition.

Using either automatic or manual focusing, focus on something in the far distance. If your lens is marked with an "infinity" focus distance, you can use that. Once you're happy with the focusing, switch the lens to manual mode. This will stop the camera trying to adjust the focus distance, and also speed up the camera's reaction time when you press the shutter button.

Next, you have to be patient. Sit with your finger on the cable release and watch the sky carefully. Press the release as soon as you see a bolt of lightning, and with a bit of luck you'll capture some of the secondary lightning strikes in your photo.

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