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Have you ever tried to photograph lightning with a point-and-shoot camera or with a smartphone? It’schallenging to see a lightning flash, snap the photo and successfully capture a lightning bolt. It can be done, of course, but the results are often blurry, or the photo doesn’t capture the entire lightning flash.
So how do photographers take good lightning photos?
Photographing lightning should be done with great care and with safety in mind, but when done properly, the photos can be beautiful. Striking, even.
1.Don’t get struck by lightning!
Remember, safety first! The golden rule of lightning safety is if you hear thunder, you should seek shelter inside of a substantial building or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle. Thus, always plan to photograph lightning from inside a safe shelter or from inside a car. When the storm moves many miles away and the thunder ends, I will sometimes venture outside to photograph different views of distant lightning but many times I will stay inside for the entire photo shoot.
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2.Shoot with long exposures.
Lightning photography is best done with repetitive, long exposures (timed exposures) at night or with low ambient light. The idea is that lightning will strike during one of the timed exposures and get fully captured by the camera. You don’t want to start the photo when you see the lightning because you’ll almost always miss it. The timed exposures are done repetitively, back-to-back, with as little delay as possible between shots. With this method, it’s possible to photograph every lightning flash that you see in front of the camera.
3.Use a tripod.
A tripod is needed to keep the camera steady during the long exposures. I prefer small, light tripods because I want to move fast during my photo shoots, but any quality tripod will work fine.
4. Use manual focus.
Set the camera to manual focus, at or near infinity, or so that the distant objects in your scene are in clear focus. If you use autofocus, the camera will sometimes create a slight delay between shots to refocus, and occasionally the camera will focus on rain drops 10 feet away and ruin your photo completely. Manual focus is best.
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5. Set the ISO.
Set your camera to manual mode and set the ISO to the lowest base level supported by your camera. It will typically range from 50 to 200. A low ISO will give you longer timed exposures, which will increase your chance of photographing a lightning flash during one of the exposures.
6.Set the f-stop.
Start with the f-stop in the range of f/6 to f/7. If lightning is very close and bright, and if your lightning photos are overexposed, you may need to increase the f-stop to f/8 or higher. If lightning is distant and not bright, you may need lower the f-stop to f/5 or lower.
Setting the best f-stop is a combination of learning through trial-and-error and making a best guess at the brightness of the next lightning flash. I have overexposed a few beautiful bolts because my f-stop was set too low, but if you set the f-stop too high, you lose color and definition of branches associated with forked lightning. It’s a guessing game, but f/6 or f/7 is a good start.
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7.Get a cable shutter release or remote.
Some cameras support cable shutter releases that can be locked down for automatic, repetitive photo taking. You can lock down the shutter release and then step back and watch the storm while the camera does the work. Also, it’s not a good idea to press the shutter release on the camera body, even with a tripod, because it can cause blurring in the photo and it introduces greater delays between shots. It’s frustrating when a good bolt of lightning strikes between shots. With the cable release locked down, the delay between shots is minimal.
8.Select an interesting location.
Find an interesting setting that you would like to photograph with lightning. Perhaps you like the view from your home? Or maybe there’s a scenic view of your town, city, favorite body of water, or a memorial? When making the decision on the location, scout out safe buildings from where you can photograph, or find a parking location that allows you to photograph from inside your car.
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9.Practice a dry run.
Go to your location of choice and practice taking photos during a clear evening. Set the camera as described above and make sure you can take good, clear photos of your location. Establish which timed exposure works best to expose the scene and also plan your travel route and parking without the stress of knowing that a thunderstorm is bearing down on you. When you’re finally there for a thunderstorm shoot, you’ll have rehearsed what to do.
10.Arrive before the storm.
Watch weather radar loops to predict the arrival of thunderstorms. Travel before the storm arrives so you can set up in your shelter or vehicle and wait for the storm to move in. Of course, thunderstorms can fizzle and/or change directions so there will be busted photo shoots, but that’s much better than trying to travel and set up during the storm. Keep in mind traffic in our area can cause additional travel delays, particularly during the early evening.
Shooting lightning is not for the fainthearted, but it can be exciting and rewarding. If you choose to try lightning photography, be careful, plan well — and good luck!
Related:
Stacking lightning bolts over Washington, D.C.
Mapping a bolt from the blue
Dangerous Derecho chase
There’s more to lightning than meets the eye
