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Summer Fun: A Flash of Lightning
15/07/11 09:02
Summer Fun: A Flash of Lightning
One of the nice things about summer weather is the occasional summer storm. I love a summer storm and the part I love the most is the lightning associated with the storm. Taking photos of lightning is fun and easy.
If it is after dark when that storm rolls in then taking photos of lightning is exactly like taking photos of fireworks. You can find the tutorial for that by clicking here.
Lightning photo after dark.
Some of the most interesting lightning photos occur not during the night but at dusk. These photos require a different approach.
Hardware
Lightning photo at dusk.
Camera Settings
Technique
The key difference between the nighttime lightning and dusk lightning photography is that the dusk photography requires you to expose for the sky as well as the lightning. This is why I shoot this with aperture priority mode. Aperture priority mode allows the camera to set the exposure for the sky and when the lightning flashes it too will be recorded on the sensor.
One thing you will notice immediately is they length of the shutter times. Depending on how bright it is outside, the shutter times will be between 2 and 10 seconds. If it is too bright outside you will need a neutral density filter. A neutral density filter is like a nice pair of sunglasses for your camera lens. A neutral density (ND) is a dark filter that does not effect the color of the image being recorded. ND filters come in varying strengths, basically an ND 4 filter will be darker than an ND 2 filter. I recommend starting with an ND2 and then add an ND 4 and other ND filters as you can afford them. If the shutter time is not running about 5 - 10 seconds, you will want to use an ND filter.
The ability to capture lighting in a photo is dependent on how fast the lightning is striking, how long the shutter is open, and how many photos you take. The rapidness of lightning strikes is out of your control, but if it is coming fast and furious you will know that you could capture the image with a shorter shutter time. The shutter time is effected by the brightness of the sky and the ISO number you have selected and the aperture number you have selected. An ISO of 200 is going to cause the shutter to stay open longer than an ISO 400 setting. That is because an ISO of 200 takes longer to record an image than the more sensitive ISO 400 setting. The other factor of aperture setting also effects how long the shutter will stay open. I generally like to shoot at about f22. In comparison to an f5.6, an f22 is a very small aperture. I recommend playing around with different aperture settings until you find the style you like. Remember that using a large aperture such as f5.6 is going to cause the shutter to actuate very quickly and you will end up needing an ND filter to slow down the shutter time without overexposing the image. The advantage to using a large aperture is that the lighting may be more dramatic looking on the final image.
It is really a matter of taste and you will have to experiment to determine what works best for you and your style of photography. As I have said I like the look of shooting without an ND filter and setting my aperture adjustment to f22. However, it is not wrong to do it differently. There are many ways to skin a cat. While you are skinning that cat, remember that before you can skin it, you have to catch it. Catching it, in this instance, means taking lots of photographs. When I am taking photographs of lightning, I generally shoot about 30 - 50 exposures to get one really good lightning strike. This high number of attempts is needed where I live because the storms in the desert are usually not as severe as the storms in areas like the South Eastern United States. Less lightning strikes means the lesser the likelihood of capturing a lightning strike in a photograph. In any event, just keep pushing the shutter button as rapidly as the camera will allow. After checking the first few images to see if they look good, don’t worry about previewing the images, just keep shooting. Taking photographs of lightning is about volume. The more photos you take the more likely you are to get a great lightning strike.
Safety
I will conclude today with a word about safety. I don’t stand out in the middle of a storm to shoot lightning photographs. I generally set up in the safety of my home, turn off the lights, and shoot right out an open window or door. If the glass is really clean, I may not even open the window depending on how close to the glass I am and the amount of reflections in the glass. Just use some common sense and be safe when you shoot.
-- Enjoy
One of the nice things about summer weather is the occasional summer storm. I love a summer storm and the part I love the most is the lightning associated with the storm. Taking photos of lightning is fun and easy.
If it is after dark when that storm rolls in then taking photos of lightning is exactly like taking photos of fireworks. You can find the tutorial for that by clicking here.
Lightning photo after dark.
Some of the most interesting lightning photos occur not during the night but at dusk. These photos require a different approach.
Hardware
- DSLR Camera or at least a point and shoot camera with ISO adjustment, timer mode, and long shutter adjustment.
- Tripod
- Neutral Density Filter (Optional)
- Remote Trigger if your camera will accept a remote trigger, self timer setting if the camera does not accept a remote trigger.
- Wide Angle Prime or Zoom Lens - 18mm - 28mm will do just fine.
- A flashlight. You will need the flashlight if you need to change settings on the camera and you are not familiar enough to make those changes in the dark.
Lightning photo at dusk.
Camera Settings
- Turn off the flash.
- ISO - 100 - 400
- fStop - f5.6- f32
- Image stabilization - Turn it off.
- Aperture Priority Mode
- Focus - Manual and the focus should be set to infinity.
Technique
- Mount your camera on the tripod and aim it to the part of the sky where the lightning is striking.
- Set the focus and ISO.
- Plug in your remote trigger or set your camera timer. In reality you may be able to press the shutter button manually, without a remote trigger and without a timer. Give it a try and if it jiggles the camera too much then go ahead and take the photo with the timer or hook up a trigger.
The key difference between the nighttime lightning and dusk lightning photography is that the dusk photography requires you to expose for the sky as well as the lightning. This is why I shoot this with aperture priority mode. Aperture priority mode allows the camera to set the exposure for the sky and when the lightning flashes it too will be recorded on the sensor.
One thing you will notice immediately is they length of the shutter times. Depending on how bright it is outside, the shutter times will be between 2 and 10 seconds. If it is too bright outside you will need a neutral density filter. A neutral density filter is like a nice pair of sunglasses for your camera lens. A neutral density (ND) is a dark filter that does not effect the color of the image being recorded. ND filters come in varying strengths, basically an ND 4 filter will be darker than an ND 2 filter. I recommend starting with an ND2 and then add an ND 4 and other ND filters as you can afford them. If the shutter time is not running about 5 - 10 seconds, you will want to use an ND filter.
The ability to capture lighting in a photo is dependent on how fast the lightning is striking, how long the shutter is open, and how many photos you take. The rapidness of lightning strikes is out of your control, but if it is coming fast and furious you will know that you could capture the image with a shorter shutter time. The shutter time is effected by the brightness of the sky and the ISO number you have selected and the aperture number you have selected. An ISO of 200 is going to cause the shutter to stay open longer than an ISO 400 setting. That is because an ISO of 200 takes longer to record an image than the more sensitive ISO 400 setting. The other factor of aperture setting also effects how long the shutter will stay open. I generally like to shoot at about f22. In comparison to an f5.6, an f22 is a very small aperture. I recommend playing around with different aperture settings until you find the style you like. Remember that using a large aperture such as f5.6 is going to cause the shutter to actuate very quickly and you will end up needing an ND filter to slow down the shutter time without overexposing the image. The advantage to using a large aperture is that the lighting may be more dramatic looking on the final image.
It is really a matter of taste and you will have to experiment to determine what works best for you and your style of photography. As I have said I like the look of shooting without an ND filter and setting my aperture adjustment to f22. However, it is not wrong to do it differently. There are many ways to skin a cat. While you are skinning that cat, remember that before you can skin it, you have to catch it. Catching it, in this instance, means taking lots of photographs. When I am taking photographs of lightning, I generally shoot about 30 - 50 exposures to get one really good lightning strike. This high number of attempts is needed where I live because the storms in the desert are usually not as severe as the storms in areas like the South Eastern United States. Less lightning strikes means the lesser the likelihood of capturing a lightning strike in a photograph. In any event, just keep pushing the shutter button as rapidly as the camera will allow. After checking the first few images to see if they look good, don’t worry about previewing the images, just keep shooting. Taking photographs of lightning is about volume. The more photos you take the more likely you are to get a great lightning strike.
Safety
I will conclude today with a word about safety. I don’t stand out in the middle of a storm to shoot lightning photographs. I generally set up in the safety of my home, turn off the lights, and shoot right out an open window or door. If the glass is really clean, I may not even open the window depending on how close to the glass I am and the amount of reflections in the glass. Just use some common sense and be safe when you shoot.
-- Enjoy