You will have seen those amazing shots of lightning, have you ever wondered how you capture the raw intensity of bolts of white and purple shooting across the sky? Shooting lightning is not easy and is one of the more difficult photography techniques to master although with a bit of practise and the right conditions you too will be able to add dramatic lightning photographs to your collection.
Many people think you need lightning fast reflexes to capture this force of nature, by standing there and pressing the shutter soon as a strike happens.
Unfortunately this is a great misconception and you will never have the reflexes to capture lighting in this way.
One of the hardest obstacles with lightning is not knowing where it is going to strike, ambient light also can be a major concern.
If you know a storm is coming in and you would like to have a go at capturing some good shots it can be a good idea to head out of suburbia and into the darkness.
High advantage points or lookouts can provide a dramatic background as the lightning strikes down over a town or city.
Getting ready Most dSLR cameras have a bulb setting (B) this setting allows you to keep the shutter open for as long as you keep the shutter release pressed down.
The key is to have the shutter open before the lightning strikes.
It helps to have a remote shutter control device such as an infrared remote or a wired cable release, you could get away with using your finger with a little care but for the cost of a remote release and the plethora of uses they have I strongly suggest that you pick one up.
Again we are about to shout the benefits of a tripod and for the best shots you really do need to setup on one.
Assess your surrounding and see where the bulk of the lightning is taking place, it can be a little hit and miss but you have to expect that with mother nature.
Use aperture setting of around f/16 or f/22 now you have to use judgement and anticipation, when you think a burst of lightning is about to come open the shutter, once it hits close the shutter again.
Getting the exposure right is the trick, if you leave the shutter open to long the ambient light and your backdrop can take away from the drama of the lightning or just be completely over exposed.
You need a fine balance; you want enough exposure to bring in some of the clouds and sky to add to the feel of the shot, without losing the intensity of the lightning.
Using the city or surroundings as a backdrop can add great depth and again, trial and error is needed to get that exposure just right.
This is another bonus with the digital camera the instant feedback to adjust the next shot as needed.