Lightning is one of those classic yet spectacular shows that mother nature puts up every now and then. As spectacular as lightning can get, the images come out equally great. However, one very important thing to keep in mind when photographing lighting is how intimidating it can get. You need to know what you’re doing and ensure your own safety. If you’d like to take lightning photos but don’t know how to plan for it, photographer Nick Page shares his tips and techniques for photographing lightning at night:
A lightning strike can come and go before you can even blink your eye. You can’t photograph lightning if you’re planning to press the shutter release button manually. Page talks about how you can use either the time-lapse mode, bulb mode, or even a lightning trigger to photograph lightning.
“The benefit of using bulb mode is that you’re taking fewer photos, and you’re pretty much getting a lightning strike in every single photo.”
Compared to photographing lightning during day time, shooting them at night is comparatively easier as far as getting a proper exposure is concerned. But, nighttime has its own set of challenges in regards to dynamic range, composition, focusing, and depth of field. As you’ll see in the video, Page explains how you can tackle these challenges.
And be sure to pay the utmost care for your own safety. Maintain a good distance between you and the storm. Shoot from the edge of the storm and make sure that you don’t have the storm over you. It is definitely not a good idea to be standing out with a camera on a tripod close to an area with high lightning activity. Read the situation and know when to call it quits and head back home to safety.
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Best video and article seen to date, this is really good information if you are shooting lighting… GREAT job….