How to photograph lightning

Jun 23, 2012 | Lightning

How to photograph lightning

Lightning photography used to be a hit and miss event for the patient and/or rich (if using film). Electronics has dramatically changed things for the amateur photographer. Armed with a camera, a tripod and an affordable electronic camera trigger, anyone can capture dozens or even hundreds of photos taken during a single storm.

One of the greatest advantages of an electronic camera trigger is the ability record shots easily during daytime. It’s patient, doesn’t get tired, or blink and miss a shot. Now it’s easier than ever. You could set your outfit up on the porch, go inside and have a cup of coffee, come back two hours later and discover which of the hundred plus shots you want to keep.

Equipment

The greater the level of manual control you have over the camera, the better suited it is for photographing lightning. A fully automated point and shoot camera just won’t do. You want the flexibility of a digital SLR for this sort of work. The camera must have an electronic shutter.

  • Use a prime or wide angle lens if you want a sharper image than a zoom.
  • You’ll probably want a tripod or a bean/wheat bag if you’re shooting from inside a car.
  • An electronic camera trigger (such as the Strike Finder™ product line).
  • A polarizing filter can also greatly reduce reflections if you’re shooting through glass.

Water protection for your electronics is vital. You may reach for a towel to dry off, but drying out your electronics usually means a very deep reach into your wallet.

Planning

If you want to do more than just document lightning strikes, some planning is needed to make your photos really striking. At first, you may be excited just to catch the lightning. But you can really add some punch to a photo by adding some interest to the foreground.

A road, path or track in the foreground, leading the eye to your subject, adds interest. I saw this well illustrated in a photo of a railway track illuminated by a lightning flash. Any sort of silhouette created by lightning, will add interest. It doesn’t matter if it’s a building, a tree, a person or animal, an aircraft wingtip, yacht masts at the local marina, whatever. Remember, the lightning doesn’t have to be the main subject. Beautiful landscapes or seascapes that include lightning will make the photo attractive.

Finally, know beforehand where you want to go once the storm has arrived. Learn what direction storms usually come from and what time of day will suit certain pictures.

Some of my favorite websites for storm planning are:

 

Camera Settings

  1. The camera must not move. It should be mounted on a tripod or on a bean bag on your car dashboard.
  2. Make sure you set the camera so it does not go to sleep (note, the Strike Finder will wake it up if it does, however, it will miss the first shot), Turn off the power save mode and make sure you have fully charged batteries.
  3. Set to single exposure mode.
  4. Turn off autofocus. Set focus to infinity manually. (Autofocus is too slow.)
  5. Turn off image stabilization or vibration reduction.
  6. If you are using an SLR, lock up the mirror.
  7. Keep ISO. settings fairly low, say at 100 to reduce image noise.

For daytime photography set to shutter priority. Don’t use too fast a speed. A flash can last a full second. So don’t close your shutter too early. To start try speeds from 1/15 to ¼ sec. But by all means experiment. I’ve heard reports of good shots with exposures of up to 4 seconds.

For nighttime photography set to manual mode. Set the aperture to say f/8 or f/11 and your shutter speed to 1/2 sec. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Settings will need to be changed from when the storm was 5 miles away, compared to when it is 2 miles away.

Safety

Photographing lightning is a lot safer than driving a car. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t dangers. Every day someone is injured by lightning in the USA. Every five days someone dies. Educate yourself on how to protect yourself during an electrical storm. If you are caught in an exposed place, get into your car.

Don’t forget that during a storm, flash flooding can also pose a risk, as well as driving on wet roads.

Above all, BE SAFE and have FUN!