Photographing Lightning (Guy Tal)

Monsoon Squall over Utah's Henry Mountains

Lightning is undoubtedly one of of Nature’s most impressive and photogenic phenomena. Lasting but a fraction of a second, it is also one of the most elusive and difficult to successfully capture in a photograph. The easiest way to ensure proper timing is to use a lightning detector device. In the absence of one, a combination of skill, persistence, and a little bit of luck, can significantly improve your odds.

When and Where?

Other than the obvious “during a storm” and “where the storm is,” there are a few other considerations to be made. To maximize your chances of recording a strike, you’ll want to keep the shutter open as long as possible, therefore evening or night time is generally preferred to avoid over-exposure. Where possible, it is also best to avoid working in the rain. Setting up at a prominent viewpoint far enough from the storm cell, and without risk of exposure is obviously preferred.

Monsoon season in the Western US is especially conducive to good lightning photography. Thunderstorms generally form in the afternoon and last into the evening and early night, and are often accompanied by impressive lightning displays. Evening temperatures this time of year are generally comfortable, and the relief of the land lends itself to finding convenient safe viewpoints with minimal risk of exposure, should you find yourself in the storm’s path. Unlike their counterparts on the plains, Monsoon storms are also generally small and predictable, allowing some flexibility in tracking them at a safe distance and selecting a favorable viewpoint.

Exposure – A Delicate Balance

Once you identify the center of the storm, which is most prone to lightning, and set up in a good safe spot, find a favorable composition, placing the storm cell where you want it in your frame. Now comes the tricky part: balancing two contradicting requirements. On one hand you’ll want to keep the shutter open as long as possible, on the other you’ll want to use a large aperture to ensure the lightning bolt(s) records successfully (which translates into shorter exposure). Some may suggest using a high ISO settings rather than (or in addition to) a large aperture, though this may result in excessively noisy images.

In alleviating these concerns, darkness is your friend. The darker it is, the longer you can leave the shutter open at a relatively large aperture. As an example, the above image was made about 30 minutes after sunset and required a 90-second exposure at f/4, ISO 50.

If some ambient light exists, exposure can be prolonged by using neutral-density filters (or a polarizer).

Where to Focus?

Considering the need to use large apertures, it is easiest to select compositions that don’t require much depth-of-field, and setting the focal point at infinity. If smaller apertures are needed, to include foreground elements, using high ISO or lenses capable of tilt/swing movements may be required.

Minimizing Noise

Long exposure photography is one area where film generally does better than digital capture. On a dark night, many film emulsions can be exposed for several hours and still produce usable images, where a digital capture generally gets unacceptably noisy after just a few minutes.

A couple of techniques can be employed to reduce noise in digital captures:

• Limit your individual exposures to 30-90 seconds, use a large memory card to expose multiple frames rather than keeping the shutter open longer on a single frame.
• Keep ISO at the lowest possible value for given conditions (examine the histogram every few exposures to make sure your images are not under/over-exposed).

Patience

With a storm cell in your frame, lightning may strike at any time, and it may take quite a while to successfully record a significant strike (or multiple strikes). Keep at it, bring spare batteries, and don’t be afraid to make lots of exposures so you can later pick the best ones.

Recording Multiple Strikes

Images depicting multiple lightning strike are generally the results of very long exposure (with film) or combined exposures (with digital). You will likely not see an array of bolts striking multiple targets at the same time. As the storm slowly brews and moves over the course of minutes or even hours, multiple strikes can be recorded at various locations in a single image.

Multiple Lightning Strikes

When photographing in the dark using a digital camera, and limiting each exposure to 30-90 seconds to avoid excessive noise, multiple strikes will likely be in separate files that can later be combined into one.

Stay Safe!

Lightning is dangerous! Every year unsuspecting people get struck when hiking, camping, or photographing in exposed locations. When in the path of a storm, be sure to find a safe spot. If on an exposed peak, head for lower elevations. If among trees, don’t stand under the tallest ones in the area. If standing near a stone wall or tall natural formation – move away, as lightning can be conducted and bounced to you. Before venturing out to photograph lightning, take some time to study the National Weather Service’s lightning safety guidelines.

~ by mountaintrailphoto on July 25, 2008.