Cameras

Taking pictures of lightning can be very rewarding for patient photographers willing to sacrifice film in the hope of catching lightning pictures.

Lightning is here and gone, an arc of electricity that lights up the sky and then disappears. As a result, the window of opportunity for taking lightning photos is measured in one or two seconds. Therein lies the challenge of taking pictures of lightning. However, once a photographer successfully captures a picture of lightning, he reaps the rewards of his patience and effort.

Equipment for Lightning Photos
Taking lightning pictures is easier if you have the right equipment. A tripod is a necessity to keep the camera steady. You will have better luck taking lightning photos if you use a cable release and slow exposure film.

Wait ? film? In the era of the digital camera? While it?s possible to capture lightning photos with a digital camera, most aren?t capable of long exposures without distortion. ASA100 film is generally the best choice for taking pictures of lightning, as the film allows for long exposures in dark environments.

Taking Lightning Pictures
Most pictures of lightning are taken at night, when camera shutters can be kept open for several minutes without overexposing ASA100 film. Here?s a step-by-step overview of taking lightning pictures:

• Attach the camera to the tripod and aim it where you think lightning will strike.
• Attach a locking cable release to the camera to keep the lens shutter open.
• Manually set the camera focus to infinity. Set the shutter speed to B and the f-stop to f-8.

Now open the camera shutter and wait. How long you keep the shutter open depends in part on your camera, your film and the darkness of your surroundings.

The darker the environment, the longer you can keep the shutter open without over exposing the shot. In very dark conditions, you can keep the shutter open for up to two minutes before advancing the film.

Patience is a Virtue
Patience is a virtue when taking lightning pictures. If you get one or two good lightning photos out of a roll of film you?re doing very well.

Although you could just hold the camera and try to take lightning shots as they happen, this method has several drawbacks:

• Your hands can shake, blurring the picture.
• You have to be, no pun intended, lightning-fast.
• You have to hold the camera for long periods of time.

Most good lightning photos are taken with long exposures, tripods, a bit of luck and plenty of patience.

Taking Pictures of Lightning in Daylight
Taking lightning photos during the day is much more difficult than at night. The main difficulty is that shutters cannot be kept open for more than a fraction of a second in daylight without over exposing the film.

A solution to this problem lies in a piece of equipment called a lightning trigger. The lightning trigger attaches to a camera and detects sudden flashes of light. As soon as the light is detected, the camera takes the shot. The only downside to this technique is price: Lightning triggers cost up to $300.

Manually Catching Lightning Pictures
Presuming you don?t have a lightning trigger, watch for areas of sky where lightning occurs often and try to manually catch the lightning. Set the focus to infinity, just as you would when taking pictures of lightning at night. Set the f-stop to between f-5.6 to f-16.

Don?t use thunder as a cue when taking lightning pictures. Thunder and lightning happen simultaneously. However, as light travels faster then sound, lightning will usually have come and gone before you hear the thunder.

Lightning Photos and Composition
Determining the best position to take lightning pictures is tricky. You can?t be assured that lightning will occur in the direction you aim your camera. However, as lightning often occurs in the same general patch of sky, you can get a good idea of where to shoot by watching the sky for a while.

Fast moving clouds don?t work well with long exposures, as they blur the photos. Slowly moving clouds can make for interesting backdrops that don?t distort the integrity of the image.

Buildings, skylines and other structures can add interest to lightning pictures. Radio station antennas and power lines have a high chance of attracting lightning strikes during storms. As a result, some photographers stake out such locations when taking lightning pictures.

Safety and Lightning Pictures
One final word on taking lightning pictures: Don?t take risks. Lightning strikes can be deadly. Even when a strike victim survives, the physical and emotional damage is significant.

If you are taking pictures of lighting, keep a safe distance (i.e., as far away as possible) between yourself and possible lightning targets, including radio antennas and power lines.

If the weather is too wild, get inside. No matter how awe-inspiring lightning photos are, they?re not worth risking your life.