Lightning Srikes

I've often heard it said by photographers that it is difficult to photograph lightning.  This always makes me wonder how they are trying to capture the image, if they have tried at all.  Then again, I've tried it the hard way too. 

When I was 19, I lived in Haifa, Israel. One afternoon there was a fantastic lightning storm.  My Norwegian roommate, also into photography, grabbed his camera and began taking photos.  Like a fool, I did the same.  We both stood on our balcony and each shot about a role of film, attempting to click the shutter at the time of each lightning strike.  We didn't end up with much.  However, with some forethought and a little planning, I was ready the next time a storm came around - ten years later.

First of all, you need some lightning and it would be very helpful to have some interesting subject matter in the foreground or background, although, sometimes a nice storm in an open field works great.  Next, you'll want a tripod or at least a steady place to prop your camera; even a cheep tripod will do.  Finally, although I don't currently have one, a shutter release cable or remote will help you to avoid camera shake.  Nothing spoils a night photo like a blurry image - unless you like blurry images, in which case you can skip the tripod too. 

For the images taken from my balcony in Shenzhen, I generally used a 15 second exposure.  Rather than trying to time the lightning, I made my composition, adjusted the settings for the ambient light and started shooting.  The solution to capturing the lighting?  When it strikes, I'm already taking the photo.  Depending on the storm, I usually find about 20-30 minutes of shooting will provide me with plenty of material.  Afterwards, I just delete the images without lighting.  Last time I netted about a dozen or so keepers.

It can be a bit eerie photographing lightning when it is that close.  I was using a wide angle lens, but the lightning often struck the buildings just one block away.  Sometimes I could hear the static in the air before the lightning struck and the thunder was deafening.  If you are going to venture outdoors to capture lightning, please make sure you do it from a safe vantage point.  Oh, and you may want a rain jacket or umbrella.  Or both.