Lightning photography?

[BMWJNKY]

I dont know if this should go here or the help section but anyways I was wondering if anyone here had some tips for photographing lightning.

[SmartWombat]

"Nice, photogenic lightning happening around an attractive subject at a convenient time when it isn't pouring rain and you're in the mood is surprisingly rare."

http://www.uscoles.com/howtolightn.htm

An interesting comment there: "Not only is older gear perfectly suitable for nighttime lightning photography, it might actually be better in some respects; I've read references to some electronic shutter cameras having limitations on maximum shutter-open times even on B (Bulb) because the magnets in the electronic shutters overheat or the battery drain holding the shutter open is excessive. This won't happen with your old Canon TX or Rolleicord!"


For some insporation try here ...
http://home.mcn.net/~stormeye/storms.html

And "lightning bolts of the week" indeed!
http://skyflashes.com/

[paulnj]

OK Eric, ah Alex ;)

I have only tried to shoot lightning once in AZ during an AMAZING lightning storm.

With that said.....

I used a wide angle and 15-30 second exposures and hoped to catch a burst or 2. that's my tip.... tripod, wide angle and long exposures and a bit of luck hahaha

[walterick]

The quick and dirty in Paul's link is a good starting point. I shoot f8 with iso 50 and f11 with iso 100. But whatever floats your boat. I put it on bulb, pull up a chair, and wait...

Expect to shoot half a roll or so (or digital equiv) and get maybe one good shot. I wait until I get a lightening bolt, then close the shutter, wind and open again. If it goes a real long time between bolts, I realize that I am probably burning out my exposure so I just close the shutter and start again. Conversely, if you're lucky and are getting multiple flashes in a row, you can leave your shutter open for as long as you care. Your aperature is what is exposing your lightening bolts here, not your shutter.

That being said, here are my two most succesful shots to date:

F8, iso 50, 30 seconds. Fuji Velvia.



F11, iso 100, bulb. Kodak E100VS I believe.



Good luck! Let us know how you do!