Copyright 2006 Rebecca Bridges
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH LIGHTNING
Tools: A camera with manual settings, a wide angle lens, a tripod, and thunderstorms!
Photographing lightning is not as easy as it looks or as hard as it seems. Once you know the settings you will need to use for your camera, the rest is mostly luck and timing. The number one thing you should do first and foremost, is to keep yourself safe. Lighntning is very unpredictable and no one will ever see your glorious photos if you and your camera are fried! Always try to stay on the edge of the storm for safety, and so you won't get rained on. Listen to a weather radio to keep you informed as to which direction the storm is moving. Be prepared to take shelter quickly if necessary!
Digital vs film photography - either one will provide great results with a good camera or great film. With film though, you can still make better quality larger prints.
1. Framing - Try to find a spot where you can have some kind of background in the photo as well as the lightning. Be creative. Although just capturing lightning in the sky is interesting by itself, a good background can turn the photo from interesting to spectacular!
2. Settings - First, always set your digital camera at ISO 100 (film speed) or lower if you are able. This will reduce the noise or grain in the photos. Set your shutter speed to BULB so that you can manually control how long the shutter stays open. Setting your aperture depends on how close you are to the strikes that are occurring. If you are very close and the strikes are very bright, you will need to use a higher aperture number (less open). Try starting at F-18 and experiment from there. If you are further away, you will need to start with a lower aperture number (more open). Try starting at F-4.5 and work from there.
3. Opening the Shutter - make sure your camera is mounted on a tripod, on steady ground. Some people prefer to use a remote shutter trigger, but I prefer complete control with my hands. Make sure your lens is set to manual focus, and turn it all the way to the left for focus to infinity. There is no way to know exactly when lightning will present itself, so if you see it happening, just start shooting. Press the shutter button to open it, and hold down. With lightning, 30 seconds is the longest I use most of the time, depending on how close I am to the storm, but it is up to each individual. The longer the shutter is open, the more likely you are going to get a lot of noise in your image. Experiment with the shutter, trying 5 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, and so on. The longer it is open, the more strikes will be in the photo. Keep in mind that the closer you are to the strikes, the brighter the light, and the higher the aperture number you will need to use, or you will get a big blurry streak of light. You may also try a using a black piece of card stock to block the lens from receiving light, and keep the shutter open for a full 30 seconds on the timer. Move the card when you see lightning, put it back when it stops, and you may be able to capture several strikes in one image. At this point it is a matter of what you want to capture! Here are some examples:
Photographing lightning is not as easy as it looks or as hard as it seems. Once you know the settings you will need to use for your camera, the rest is mostly luck and timing. The number one thing you should do first and foremost, is to keep yourself safe. Lighntning is very unpredictable and no one will ever see your glorious photos if you and your camera are fried! Always try to stay on the edge of the storm for safety, and so you won't get rained on. Listen to a weather radio to keep you informed as to which direction the storm is moving. Be prepared to take shelter quickly if necessary!
Digital vs film photography - either one will provide great results with a good camera or great film. With film though, you can still make better quality larger prints.
1. Framing - Try to find a spot where you can have some kind of background in the photo as well as the lightning. Be creative. Although just capturing lightning in the sky is interesting by itself, a good background can turn the photo from interesting to spectacular!
2. Settings - First, always set your digital camera at ISO 100 (film speed) or lower if you are able. This will reduce the noise or grain in the photos. Set your shutter speed to BULB so that you can manually control how long the shutter stays open. Setting your aperture depends on how close you are to the strikes that are occurring. If you are very close and the strikes are very bright, you will need to use a higher aperture number (less open). Try starting at F-18 and experiment from there. If you are further away, you will need to start with a lower aperture number (more open). Try starting at F-4.5 and work from there.
3. Opening the Shutter - make sure your camera is mounted on a tripod, on steady ground. Some people prefer to use a remote shutter trigger, but I prefer complete control with my hands. Make sure your lens is set to manual focus, and turn it all the way to the left for focus to infinity. There is no way to know exactly when lightning will present itself, so if you see it happening, just start shooting. Press the shutter button to open it, and hold down. With lightning, 30 seconds is the longest I use most of the time, depending on how close I am to the storm, but it is up to each individual. The longer the shutter is open, the more likely you are going to get a lot of noise in your image. Experiment with the shutter, trying 5 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, and so on. The longer it is open, the more strikes will be in the photo. Keep in mind that the closer you are to the strikes, the brighter the light, and the higher the aperture number you will need to use, or you will get a big blurry streak of light. You may also try a using a black piece of card stock to block the lens from receiving light, and keep the shutter open for a full 30 seconds on the timer. Move the card when you see lightning, put it back when it stops, and you may be able to capture several strikes in one image. At this point it is a matter of what you want to capture! Here are some examples:
Shot at F-20 for 5 seconds.
Shot at F-18 for 8 seconds.
Shot at F-8 for 39 seconds.
All images copyright Rebecca Bridges 2007
Be safe and happy photographing!
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