Lightning Photography Ben Divin

Ever want to photograph lightning but don't know where to start? Here's a simple tutorial to get you started.

First off you will need a camera with 1-6 second exposure capabilities.

Second you need a tripod or stabilization system.

Third, a cable release or wireless shutter release system are best, you can trip the shutter with your finger but you are open to camera vibration.

If your camera allows for mirror lock up, use it, slight vibration from your mirrors movement , set to manual and adjust exposure as best you can. (get on the scene early, you will need about five to ten minutes to find your best exposure settings)

SOME HINTS:

photograph storms that have already moved through your area, you expereince less rain which dulls your shots, and you are less likely to get hurt.

take a ton of photos, i usually get off scene with around 500-800 photos, which depending on the frequency of the lightning, will give you twenty to fifty captured bolts, of which about five to ten are "keepeers", just the nature of the game.

Have a clean memory card and a freshly charged battery, you will shoot a lot. Also have a microfiber lens cleaning cloth handy, you may expereince some rain spray on your lens.Photograph at night, it a lot easier to get longer exposures in the dark.

Keep a weather app open on your smartphone (I use KSPR's Free app), or keep a weather radio handy and turned on while you photograph, ALWAYS BE AWARE OF THE SEVARITY AND DIRECTION OF THE STORM.

GETTING STARTED

Scout locations that are safe and out of the rain, I use elevated parking garages, bring earplugs it get loud

Set up camera and tripod and frame your shot depending on the frequency of lightning strikes for a particular area.

Test exposures, I usually try to set my shutter to 2 seconds, and stop up/down to compensate. Depending on lighting conditions this may not be possible if you want deep focus, 1 second to 6 second exposures will work, but i have had the best results at 2 seconds. Make sure your aperture settings allow for deep focus.

Once you are stabi;ized, framed up, and have tested for accurate exposure, you are ready to shoot. You can set your camera to continuos shutter release, but this can quickly bog down your DSLR's writing capacity limiting the number of exposures you can take in succession. If you are using film, you don't need to worry about that.

I shoot every exposure directly after the last one, so as soon as my shutter closes I open i right back up, one after the other.

Adjust as the storm moves away from you, reframe, retest exposure etc. Shoot a ton of shots, this will increase your chances of capturing lighning strikes in your sensor or on your film.