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The Storm
Reading the storm is important. For lightning you need to be in front of the storm to avoid rainfall and catch the clear air strikes. There are oportunities at the back edge but in my experience here in my home state of South Australia the front gives the best bolts. So watch the storm and direction of travel. It is possible to anticipate where lightning activity should occur most by picking the areas of greatest instability. Rain shafts often are an indicator of this. Try to zoom (set focal length) to encompass the instability completely so the bolts fill the frame as much as possible.
This is the hardest bit really and is also the bit you have the least control over. Its also the part of the challenge that is so addictive! Local knowledge goes a long way as storms will often follow well trodden “storm” paths.
Working in the elements
With storms usually come some rain. Water and electronic gear just do not mix. Logically then it follows that if rain is on its way then some protection is needed. In most cases you will see approaching rain in flashes or city lights back-lighting so anticipating when and where it will rain is not usually difficult. To avoid the rain I keep a plastic bag handy at all times and shoot right to the point of the rain start. There are products available that will protect just the camera body leaving the lens free. While a good idea the photo’s will not look so good with big blobs of water on the lens front element! When possible I retreat to the back of my ute which has a large canopy and lifting side and rear windows which allow me to shoot through in dry conditions. I have also shot many pics with the tripod set up on the front passenger seat. Its worth the effort as amazing pics can be had from “inside the storm”
shooting under cover
It has been mentioned to me that the wind can be too much of an issue, rocking the vehicle and hence blurring the image. In the dark town free (no light pollution) country I shoot in, this is never a problem. It “may” be in more built up areas. Remember that a lightning flash is like a giant flashgun for your camera. This freezes action and in dark conditions removes the problem of any vehicle shake – in 99% of cases. Take note of the conditions and shoot accordingly.
Some have said that to avoid this they like to shoot with the camera on a tripod, camera wrapped in plastic and a long remote. This has its own problems. The biggest being water on the lens which not only destroys an image by reflections and refractions (as mentioned above), but has the potential to damage camera or lens electronics as very few lenses are weather proofed and are as a result the weak link in weather proof attempts.
Strong winds can be the final straw to getting the shots. A good tripod gives the best chance of getting through winds, but sometimes mother nature wins. When its like this I just sit back and enjoy the show.