A brief, helpful tutorial for amatuer and professional photographers alike. Lightning tips and tricks - photography is easy and fun.

1. How To Photograph:
Lightning!
By Michael Forman

2. IT’S SIMPLE
ONLY 3 THINGS NEEDED
• Manually Operated Camera
(SLR or DSLR with Bulb setting)
• Tripod
• Low light (or no light at all.
ie Night time)

3. Manually Operated Camera
This is an SLR or DSLR with a
shutter value =
• Bulb or;
• Bu or;
• B
Check your owners manual if you’re not sure. It will be listed in the
specifications section – see next slide.
[AUTHOR]

4. [AUTHOR]

5. Tripod
Inexpensive tripods tend to move a little in a breeze. Spend a little
more to get a quality tripod. You won’t be sorry!
[AUTHOR]

6. Low Light or Night Time
Long exposure photography (which this is going to be) would
overexpose daytime shots. In order to reduce exposure, we need
to wait until the light in the sky diminishes.
[AUTHOR]

7. SETTINGS NEEDED
1. ISO = 100
2. Aperture = f5.6 – f11
3. Focus = Infinity (manual setting)
4. Shutter = 30secs to 16 minutes
Practice without lightning to measure the ‘glow’ and jot down the
results. Refer later when your storm arrives! [AUTHOR]
Choosing timing: Atmospheric glow given off by city lights (or
the moon) will affect the finished image thereby helping you
determine how long an exposure should be. Good lightning is
contrasted against a dark background so if you find the images
you’re taking are too pale, shorten the exposure. Start at 30
seconds and then increase the times by doubling. Ie: 1 min,
2mins, 4mins, 8mins, etc, until you find a satisfactory result.

8. METHOD
1. Attach camera to tripod and arrange those settings
described in the previous slide.
2. Look for the most active part of the storm.
3. Press the shutter button and let the camera do its
thing without touching it.
4. Lightning will occur while the shutter is open.
5. Bingo! A picture of lightning!
[AUTHOR]

9. [AUTHOR]

10. MORE LIKE DUCK HUNTING?
[AUTHOR]
Wait for lightning to appear in
the sky and then quickly shoot it?

11. [AUTHOR]

12. [AUTHOR]
Of course it can be done that way
but…
•Lightning is fast
•The brain is comparatively slow to signal a finger to move a button
•A shutter button is comparatively slow to activate a shutter
•A shutter is comparatively slow to open and then close
•The total action has too many links in it to beat lightning!
That doesn’t include the auto-focus lag time (if using it).

13. [AUTHOR]
Capturing lightning is like waiting for a bus
or hitchhiking

14. [AUTHOR]
We know several things:
•Which direction lightning is
likely to appear
•When it’s likely to arrive
So wait, open up the
camera’s shutter and let the
lightning to come on by!

15. [AUTHOR]
This explains why some
photographers manage to
capture several strikes in a
shot!
Longer shutter times combined with
and active storm can accumulate many
strikes in one photo. They didn’t
happen all at once but one at a time
over 10 or more minutes.
10-20 minutes of exposure requires no other light to
appear anywhere in the scene. Take a look – it’s night
time, there are no streetlights, no ambient light
whatsoever. It’s in the country far away from the city
lights and traffic.

16. [AUTHOR]
So THAT’S how they do it!!!!

17. [AUTHOR]
The trick is to be patient

18. [AUTHOR]
Let’s look at that checklist again

19. ONLY 3 BASIC THINGS NEEDED
• Manually Operated Camera
(SLR or DSLR with Bulb setting)
• Tripod
• Low light (or no light at all.
ie Night time)

20. SETTINGS FOR LIGHTNING
1. ISO = 100
2. Aperture = f5.6 – f11
3. Focus = Infinity (manual setting)
4. Shutter = 30secs to 16 minutes
[AUTHOR]

21. WHY NO AUTO-FOCUS?
[AUTHOR]
Many cameras have trouble finding the right focus point when
looking into the blackness of night AND when fixed to a tripod.
Sometimes they take too long to decide what to focus on - so turn
the auto-focus off, set the lens to infinity and leave it there. All
lightning strikes will appear closer to infinity than say inside 12
metres (40 feet) so there’s no need to have the camera figure that
part out.

22. Q. WHAT ABOUT USING A SHUTTER REMOTE?
[AUTHOR]
Sure but it’s not needed
Night exposures ranging between 30 seconds
and 16 minutes tend to absorb an initial button-
press vibration because the movement only represents
a small part of the overall picture time.
Vibrations in a camera during
shutter movements do cause
blurry pictures but it’s most
problematic in shutter speeds
between 1/30th second and 5
seconds.

23. ‘Other Vibrations’
[AUTHOR]
Wind-shaken camera strap
Storms generate wind causing a
camera strap to rattle back and
forth. The result is a blurry
picture.
I take mine off. Problem solved.
Flimsy Tripod
Inexpensive tripods bend and sway
in the wind, especially those with
quick-release blocks and thin legs.
To check: Set up your tripod,
mount the camera and then place
you hand on top of it. Give the
camera a twist. If it moves easily,
you have a problem.

24. [AUTHOR]

25. [AUTHOR]

26. WHEN ON LOCATION
1. Safety Issues
2. Which Lens? (Angle)
3. Direction of Storm
4. Which Aperture?
[AUTHOR]
HELPFUL THINGS TO KNOW

27. ON LOCATION
(Safety)
• Shoot approaching storms only,
never one that’s in progress
overhead!
• Wear Sturdy Shoes
• Take a Flashlight
[AUTHOR]

28. ON LOCATION
(Which Lens Angle?)
• Slightly Wider Than The Area
Being Photographed
• Crop Correction Can Be Applied
Afterwards
• Include Interesting Detail in
Foreground
• Reflections are even better!
[AUTHOR]

29. ON LOCATION
(Direction Of Storm)
• Be aware of the front’s
direction
• Use forecasts as a guide only
• Abandon shoot when the
storm’s front reaches a point of
about 70 degrees in the sky.
[AUTHOR]

30. ON LOCATION
(The Aperture)
Do you like your lightning thick
and ‘chunky’?
Or thin and with lots of detail and
‘spider-webbing’?
[AUTHOR]

31. READ THIS BOOK
A lightning photographer witnesses a
rape and murder while hunting down
the perfect storm photograph.
It’s true to the craft of photography,
tense with psychological twists to thrill.
If you’re into photography, storms,
lightning, this is the novel for you!
-Michael Forman
Author - Educator - Photographer