Taking Pictures of Lightning with Digital Camera

[Clarence Bennett]

I just checked and I was at F2.8, ISO 80, with an 8 second exposure...UGH! This was honestly the best lightning shot opportunity I have had all year and blew it...

 

[Mike Deep]

I just checked and I was at F2.8, ISO 80, with an 8 second exposure...UGH! This was honestly the best lightning shot opportunity I have had all year and blew it...

There's your problem. I would start shooting lightning at f5.6 and adjust to compensate for distance from there... Basically following the apertures Dan posted. For that particular shot you would probably need f16. If you weren't expecting a bolt that close I'm not sure there's anything you could have done.

 

[Tony Laubach]

Lightning is definitely a favorite aspect of chasing and really the only subject I actually work on in terms of photography, so I suppose its worthy of my 2000th post.. LOL

Shooting lightning with digital is great... mainly because you can see immediately the results and make adjustments on the fly..

Here are some the pointers I take with me in the field..

1. Sturdy tripod; no Wal-Mart plastic dung piles. Even the slightest winds will move a weak tripod just enough to blur your picture.

2. I don't often shoot during the day unless the lightning is set against a dark backdrop or the lightning is vivid. Its possible, but you're talking a difficult mix of very short exposures and high f/stops to prevent too much light from bleeding out your pictures. That's where the bright bolts come in cause they need to be bright enough to show with the higher f/stops.

3. This is one I really am living by... get a lens that has a definite infinity setting. I am shooting with a pair of Tamron lenses (18-200mm, 18-270mm) that both have an infinity maker. Shooting at night in remote areas often makes it impossible to find something to focus on. And even then, its sometimes tough to judge. This has significantly reduced the number of good shots that could've been great because I missed my focus by a smidgen in either direction (even passed infinity). If you don't have that cheat sheet, try and focus your camera on something in any directon to get your infinity setting, then aim your camera. All my shots are much more crisp this way..

4. Get your field of view. If you do have something in the foreground (or background), it helps me to know where it stands in the photo. This is more important if you shoot on a bulb setting and release after the strike. This way, you know if a shot is out of frame. It also makes celebrating a bit more truthful if you know you have a direct hit and not face the disappointment of seeing you missed it.

5. After dark, shooting a storm that has a lot of in-cloud lightning flashes. Its easy to forget that those flashes will show up in your frame. When I end up in a storm with more inner cloud flashes than CGs, I will reduce my exposure times to reduce the amount of lightning in a picture. This way when I do nab a CB strike, its not completely bleeded out by 30 seconds of occasional inner cloud flashes.

6. Sunset or colored backdrops; these I have tried hard to work with. I typically shoot a few frames to test what shows the background best verses the lightning I have available. Obviously this will change as the sun goes down, but it gives you an area to aim for. Again, the situation will change given your conditions, but exposing for the background will often yield terrific results.

7. Go oldschool... I enjoyed the early days of shooting lightning with film, but you lose the ability to easily adjust your settings on the fly... but, if you shoot with both, you can kind of cheat. Why film? 5-10 minute exposures. Yes, you can do this with a digi, but higher end more expensive models. I'm cheap when it comes to my cameras cause I don't have the luxury of buying the dream camera, but a cheapo 35mm film camera can step in and give you some fun shots. I would be shooting my 5-30sec exposures on my Nikons, then have an extended exposure shooting the same storm on a wider shot for about 10 minutes.

8. Distance... this is a personal decision based on your safety... I have an 18-270mm lens for a reason, and it helps... but sometimes, you get presented with close opps and they do make for some dramatic shots. Use your head for this and don't get yourself into bad situations, but remember that lightning can hit anywhere within a storm's area, so just cause you're far away doesn't mean you're completely at zero of taking a hit.

9. Luck... sometimes, you do something that works perfectly... I opened up my camera and saw one bolt within the first second... I waited the last 14 seconds with glee knowing I nabbed a good one. But somehow, I missed the other 3 that must've hit immediately after the first..

There is no set way to shoot, but I do have my preferred default settings..

Within 70mm after dark, I shoot f/5.6 at 15 seconds or under.

Within 70-200mm after dark, I shoot at 30 seconds given the lightning is usually further away. My f/stops may be limited pending the zoom, but I hang around f/5.

Before sunset w/ dark backdrop, I shoot at f/11 or higher at exposures of 1.5-2seconds. This will eat up a ton of frames really fast.

Lastly, carry extra batteries, cards, and have a tripod available for each camera you shoot with. I have gone up to three cameras at the same time on a given storm.

And finally, have an itcy trigger finger! NOTHING sucks worse than being in that second between shots when a beautiful strike comes down. Be ready to go as soon as the camera is ready for its next shot (having two cameras allows you to cover that gap if your processing time is long).

SOME BETTER LIGHTNING DAYS

August 9, 2009 - Deer Trail, Colorado

August 6, 2009 - Last Chance, Colorado

August 12, 2007 - Petrified Forest, Arizona

August 14, 2007 - Winona, Arizona

August 15, 2007 - Canyon Diablo, Arizona

July 23, 2006 - Morrison, Colorado

 

[Joey Ketcham]

I got into doing lightning photography just within the last 2 years using my Rebel XTi and love it. Each time I get a chance to do it I love it even more. Here is one I captured just last night near Welch, OK, my best lightning shot to date.

 

[Clarence Bennett]

Thanks for all the good info. guys. Those are all some amazing shots!