Photographing Lightning

The quick and dirty guide to night time lightning photography. Page 2

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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 backlighting 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 alarge 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"

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 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.

Remember to seek cover from rain which can damage expensive electronics!

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.

Examples

Just a few examples with some shooting data to give an idea of what is what....

	Model : NIKON D70 ExposureTime : 12.20Sec FNumber : F6.3 FocalLength : 18.00(mm) Taken from the front seat of the car to avoid heavy rain. A good example of why taking cover to keep shooting can yeild good results.
	Model : NIKON D70 ExposureTime : 67.00Sec FNumber : F6.3 FocalLength : 300.00(mm) A good reason to have more than one lens on hand! This storm was extremely active but a long distance away. My viewpoint was high which allowed me to put on the 300mm lens and capture some great bolts.
	Model : NIKON D70 ExposureTime : 44.00Sec FNumber : F5.0 FocalLength : 220.00(mm) This was an extremely active display and I let exposure run out for a while to fill the frame. Despite being spectacular its almost too much. Again shot at high focal lengths.
	Model : NIKON D70 ExposureTime : 114.00Sec FNumber : F6.3 FocalLength : 48.00(mm) Rain wrapped bolts can be a real problem as can be seen in this image. When it looks like this it may be time to try upping the aperture. Small increments to find the balance.
	Model : NIKON D70 ExposureTime : 68.00Sec FNumber : F5.6 FocalLength : 18.00(mm) Sometimes the whole scene is as good as the bolt itself. In this case a bright moon backlights a small cell as it fires earthwards

Many many more examples, including larger versions of these shots, can be seen in my Gallery here.

Well that is mostly it. Its now all up to you and the weather.

Most of all be careful, have fun and enjoy one of the best free shows on earth!