Lightning is one of the most beautiful weather events hunted by amateur and professional photographers all over the world. But how to catch the long-awaited moment and not spoil the frame. How to reflect the bright glow of celestial arrows against a contrasting dark blue sky. To do this, the photographer will need a certain set of equipment, the use of appropriate parameters and tricks.
We have prepared for you a selection of recommendations from photography professionals that will help you deftly and colorfully capture lightning in a frame, make it interesting and artistic.

What equipment will be needed

What to bring with you on a rainy summer day? Of course, the camera and related accessories that will be needed in the pursuit of lightning. Here are five key things that should be at your doorstep:

We catch lightning in the frame

And now about how to set up the camera to shoot lightning. This requires the use of appropriate parameters that will reflect in the picture all the beauty of the stormy sky that the photographer sees through the viewfinder.

What should be the aperture

To get a well-exposed card, you need to build the aperture in a special way. If, when shooting in the daytime, in order to obtain sharpness, it is necessary to use the method of closing to indicators of 11-16, then at night it is the other way around.

In the absence of sunlight, the diaphragm must be slightly opened.

Once again, let's think about the neutral density filter, which helps the photographer to shoot at slow shutter speeds in the morning and afternoon. The denser the coating, the darker the effect will be.

Focusing

A question that may bother a novice photographer: how to quickly and clearly catch lightning in the frame, if a second before that the sky was swallowed up by darkness. Everything is simple. When shooting at night, you need to use manual focus. Almost all modern DSLRs support the LiveView system, which allows you to quickly tune in to a bright element of the composition that has appeared and set the required sharpness for it. When buying a camera, pay attention to whether there is a very useful and necessary option in the LiveView parameters.

Building a composition

Shooting lightning belongs to the landscape genre and therefore the application of the classic rule of the “golden section” is implied here. But the question arises in which part of the frame the lightning will appear, what length, thickness and shape it will be. It's impossible to predict. We conclude: if the lightning flashes one after another, and you can build a picture in advance - follow the standards.

• Advice:
  in the case of single flashes, it is better to succumb to creative inspiration and take shots depending on the situation.

When composing a shot with lightning, follow the rules:

• do not include too much sky in the picture, the focus on the lightning will be blurred, excess space will absorb the central element of the composition;
• use additional elements: a tree with winding branches, a church dome, a lonely lighthouse on the shore, a puddle in which the stormy sky is mirrored, so the frame will look full, compositionally capacious;
• the characters in the frame are able to enhance the effect - they will become a comparison of the scale of the elements, the viewer will be able to compare the size of the same tree with lightning peals;

• use lines in the composition that will give the image a semantic and artistic axis, geometry: paths, roads, sidewalks, parapets, bridges - include these verticals and horizontals in the frame structure, they will make it more expressive;
• do not ignore single flashes - they are also characteristic, try to take pictures with different emotional coloring: a formidable arrow crossing the sky from the very top of the frame and almost to the ground; bright beams of lightning like celestial blood flows reflected in the windows of houses, these shots are different and that's their charm - they convey the behavior of nature, an instant change in her mood.

How to take a spectacular shot of lightning

Lightning has an obstinate character. Capturing her is not easy. But when this happens, the photo seems to come to life, subtly conveys the atmosphere of the moment, the mood of a temperamental stormy sky.

Here are some ideas for places to shoot lightning, where you can find interesting angles:

• own dwelling. We are talking about a high-rise building, since not such a luxurious prospect opens from a private house. And, of course, we take into account the fact of a panoramic view. If from your window almost “Red Square is visible”, and not the windows of a neighboring high-rise building, then the shooting can turn out to be successful. We observe the stormy sky, track the direction of the clouds and “shoot in” - we are looking for the right angle that will allow us to let the celestial space required by the composition into the frame.
• City. Lightning peals against the backdrop of city skyscrapers, bridges in a sparkling rim of lanterns, glossy roads shining from the rain - the perfect picture for a bright, spectacular, expressive frame. In order not to run around the streets with equipment in search of a shooting point, take care of this in advance. Professional photographers find basic places from which magnificent panoramas open up in different weather and time of day. If you want to improve your skills and try yourself as a photo lightning hunter - do the same.

• Water. Rivers, seas, lakes - an excellent structural element of the landscape with lightning. Only the sky and water space alone will not be enough - the picture will turn out to be compositionally empty. Use details: house on the beach, lighthouse, rock, tree. An additional expressiveness of the frame is given by the effect of an arch: a tree branch that opens up part of the sky with contrasting thunderbolts.
• Mountain landscape. Here you can catch a cloud and behind the peaks - it looks no less colorful than up close. The relief of the mountain cap will become clearly defined, which will give the photo a special atmosphere and mood.

Bringing the shots to perfection. Treatment

The peculiarity of lightning is in power drops. They behave unpredictably: they can brightly illuminate the sky in an instant and in a second issue a thin, barely perceptible arrow; scattered in bunches and fired singly. You can look at this game of temperaments endlessly, but how to catch such beauty in the frame and maintain sharpness, contrast, expressiveness. After all, far from always the camera manages to capture the picture as it opens through the viewfinder. Raw mode and post-processing come to the rescue.

As a rule, photographers work with Adobe Camera Raw for Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom editors, which allow them to set the perfect white balance, set the desired tones, adjust sharpness and contrast, add more cold color temperature (the night sky does not like warm shades).

Use the Clarity, Highlights, Vibrance, Contrast values ​​and the photo will turn out juicy and expressive.

Image Combination Reception

A real success for a photographer is to make several spectacular shots of the raging elements from one angle. This allows you to then combine the picture into one, create a unique picture. For such artistic integration, professionals use the capabilities of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge. If there is no second one, you can limit yourself to the first one: in the tab, insert one picture on top of the other, after copying the desired element.

1. We start by turning off all the working layers and leaving visible those that will be needed - the bottom two.

To move the layer to the invisible status, you need to click on the eye icon.

2. We proceed to the second layer. You will need the Layer blending options mode and the Lighten parameter included in it, which will reflect the brightest areas of the image. To combine all the light fragments in one picture, the same must be done with other layers.

3. Now we work with the image overlay. So, step by step, you will see more and more lightning in the picture, migrating into the main frame from other layers. At the end of the process, do not forget to save the file.

Be sure to read this short list of tips. Each item is important not only for the competent composition of the frame, but also for the safety of your life. A thunderstorm is a beautiful and, at the same time, a dangerous weather phenomenon.

• When hunting for lightning, the weather forecast should be your guide. Please note that it may change several times a day. Find a trusted resource and stay tuned for updates. The best option is to install the application on your smartphone.
• The most grateful time for shooting lightning, which will make the picture bright, contrasting, characteristic, is evening after sunset and night. In the morning and afternoon hours, you will have to use a neutral gray filter, which will artificially create the effect of night, and allow you to shoot at slow shutter speeds.
• Watch the clouds, more precisely, their celestial movement. Determine in which direction the wind is blowing, from where the impending thundercloud will float. This will give you time to plan your location, find a good angle that will cover the right area without wasting space. It is quite possible that you do not even have to leave the house if the composition is effectively built from the balcony.

• The best moment to shoot a thundercloud is during its approach, when it has not yet belligerently hung over you, but is only approaching. As a rule, lightning is already flashing, thunder is rumbling. As soon as the cloud hangs over you, it will start to rain and the conditions for shooting will deteriorate dramatically. Moreover, at this time it is dangerous to be in the open air, you can get under a lightning bolt.
• During a thunderstorm, find shelter for yourself, do not stand with a camera in an open field, on hills, near water, under single trees. You can attract lightning and become a lightning rod.
• Don't be discouraged if the frame doesn't work the first time. Take pictures again and again until it starts to rain. The main thing is not to give up and believe that your moment is ahead.
• Take care of equipment that can easily get wet. Store your equipment and accessories in a waterproof case, backpack, or water-repellent bag.

Shooting lightning is a special process that inspires from the very first moments, captivates and addicts. As in any hunt, excitement appears here, the desire to effectively capture the moment and colorfully reflect it in the picture. Do you want to become a master lightning catcher? Take advantage of our professional advice. Good luck!

Lightning for us is something elusive, a kind of beast that cannot be caught. In this article, I will cover the main aspects of lightning photography, learning about which, you will photograph like real professionals.

All you need:

• camera
• tripod
• remote shutter release
• camera rain cover

Your safety while shooting

The most important thing is your safety, do not forget that lightning is a really dangerous phenomenon. And not only lightning, but also heavy rain or hail, so be fully prepared - read the precautions.

In search of lightning

I'm not going to spend a lot of time spelling out this item, we can talk about it indefinitely. In search of storms, storms, I turn to the weather forecast, a couple of years ago I collected information from various sources on predicting the appearance of thunderclouds, which you can find in this document.

Based on the weather forecast in your area, I will tell you one good website Weather Underground.

Taking pictures

So, based on the forecast, you have chosen a shooting location - it's time to shoot. Many photographers make the same mistake: trying to capture lightning, they forget about the composition of the photo, its expressiveness. Therefore, before you start “catching” lightning, make sure that even without these lightnings in the frame, the photo will look advantageous. Well, with lightning in the frame, the photo will look a hundred times more spectacular.

It is highly discouraged, as everyone knows, to stand in an open field during a thunderstorm, and even more so if there is an iron tripod at a distance. This is where the remote shutter release comes in handy. By setting up the camera and setting up the remote control, you can move away from your camera to a safe distance and take pictures from afar.

Very often, when shooting lightning, photographers do not take into account the fact that lightning itself is a very bright light source, so photos are often overexposed. The flash of lightning is similar to the flash of your camera, it illuminates everything around. Most of the light in the photo will come from the flash of lightning.

It is better to set the exposure time in the range from 20 to 30 seconds, with such settings the photo will turn out completely black without light coming from lightning. For myself, I found the optimal settings: f / 7, ISO 100 and a shutter speed of 30 seconds, if the lightning flashes are very strong and close, and if the flashes are quite far or weak, then I set the aperture to f / 5.

Of course, you'll have to take a few test shots to find the perfect aperture and shutter speed for you. All the photos shown in this tutorial were taken at approximately the settings described above (f / 7, ISO 100, 30 sec), I advise you to use them as a basis.

Use your widest lens. When composing your shot, keep the horizon line as low as possible, because the main character in your photo is the sky.

Like all settings, we also adjust the focus manually. Take a few test shots, focusing on the most distant objects, try to achieve their maximum sharpness. Recall such a concept as hyperfocal distance, the background and sky should be as detailed as possible.

Photo processing

If you've never shot in Raw before, do so now. Lightning is unpredictable and very variable in intensity, so photos often need post-processing to make them look better. Some lightning flashes are very powerful, some are slightly weaker, and the camera rarely manages to set the correct white balance in such conditions. Post-processing of JPEG files is less efficient, so shoot in Raw.

Here is a good example of a raw photo. If you were shooting in JPEG format, then this would be the end of it. The white balance on it is too warm, and the lightning does not stand out enough against the background:

And now we will demonstrate the same image, but after processing. Below the photo you will see a screenshot from the Adobe Camera Raw editor, in which I showed all the changes made. Remember that lightning photos look spectacular with very cool white balance and blue tones.

All these changes can be done in Lightroom.

The photo has become much brighter, more contrast, the lightning effectively stands out against the blue sky. To do this, I moved the Temperature slider towards blue and increased the Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Clarity and Vibrance values.

We combine photos

If you are lucky enough to shoot during a raging thunderstorm, and you make several successful shots of lightning from one point, then for greater effect, you can combine these shots into one, i.e. show several lightning bolts that you were lucky enough to catch in one photo. To do this, you will need Adobe Bridge and Adobe Photoshop.

If you don't have Adobe Bridge, don't worry. Just open the photos in Photoshop, copy and paste one on top of the other in one tab. Bridge simply automates this process. I will show you this method using the four photos below.

In Bridge:

• Import photos into Adobe Bridge
• Open one photo in Adobe Raw via Bridge and edit to your liking
• Select all photos, right-click and select "Develop Settings > Previous Conversion". Thus, the processing will be applied to all photos.
• Select all the photos again and repeat the sequence: “Tools > Photoshop > Load files into Photoshop layers”. This process may take some time depending on the number of files being uploaded.
• Now our photos have loaded into Photoshop, each photo is on a separate layer.

In Photoshop:

• Turn off all layers, leave only the bottom two visible (to make the layer invisible, click on the eye icon in the cell).
• Working with the second layer, go to “Layer blending options” (overlay modes) and select the blending mode “Lighten”. Only the brightest parts of the image will be visible on the layer. Having done these actions with the rest of the layers, we will bring all the brightest fragments into one image.

• Keep changing the layer blending mode one by one, you will see that with each subsequent step of the lightning in the photo there is more and more.

Now your photo is ready! Merge the layers and save the photo. I hope you found useful information in this tutorial.

Lightning is an amazing subject to shoot. Dazzling. Unpredictable. Impressive. I have been photographing the "long arms of Zeus" for over twenty years and still love doing it. Starting with films and negatives, over time I switched to a DSLR. There are many ways to get a creative shot of a stormy sky.

A storm can appear at any time of the year, even in winter. In fact, cold storms cause lightning and winter thunderstorms. Don't stop just because of the low temperature - challenge nature!

To help you, I've put together my top tips for shooting lightning, from understanding the process of shooting different types of thunderstorms to the right equipment.

Lightning flowing from one cloud to another. Eastern Wyoming.

Types of lightning

In my photography experience, lightning can be classified into four categories: type, intensity, pattern, color.

Type

Linear (cloud-to-ground), cloud-to-cloud, intra-cloud are the three types that I have seen most often. Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes from above and strikes something below it. The cloud-to-cloud type moves across the sky and usually doesn't hit anywhere. Intra-cloud lightning obviously occurs within the same cloud and usually only the flash of light produced by it can be seen. During some storms, thunderstorms can strike several times per second.

The type of thunderstorm can help determine which lens to use. If I see linear lightning, I use the NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G to capture a landscape shot. If I'm getting a few cloud-to-cloud flashes above me, I'll most likely need a NIKKOR 14mm f/2.8D ED pointing up perpendicular to the sky. If intra-cloud flares start during a storm of no particular interest, I will use the NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II or NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II with the camera aimed at the cloud.

Cloud-to-cloud lightning roams the night sky.

Intensity

This characteristic is especially important when shooting. Correctly determining the degree of brightness of the discharge will help me set the correct exposure, starting with ISO and ending with shutter speed. As the storm approaches, I usually study it for a couple of minutes, and only then take a picture. How often does lightning strike? Which discharge is the brightest - fourth or fifth? Shooting with a DSLR will allow you to instantly evaluate each shot on the camera screen and adjust the settings to get the desired result.

Intracloud lightning.

Pattern

One of my favorite shooting situations is when there is a single, very clean linear lightning. I love absolute simplicity. In my opinion, this type works best if you want to create an image with high artistic value.

Linear lightning striking the countryside at sunset.

Color

Lightning can be of different colors. The most common is white, but red, yellow, green, and even blue or purple can also be found. The tint usually depends on the gases, chemicals, and impurities in the atmosphere, as well as the current temperature of the discharge. Bright white lightning is the most common. They can become orange or reddish with a high concentration of dust or air pollution. Hailstones can give lightning a purple or even blue tint. Sodium lamps in urban lighting can also affect the color, making it bluish green.

Lightning tormenting the fiery red sky during a strong sunset thunderstorm. The unusual color is due to dust particles in the air. Dry conditions and strong winds have caused this phenomenon.

The best time to shoot

Obviously, we will need a thunderstorm, however, not all thunderstorms occur at night. I like to shoot at different times of the day. Many people shoot lightning after dark, but how about doing it during the daytime, at sunset, or even at dusk? This will result in a frame with interesting color and style.

Lightning wanders through the sky and strikes the ground.

Equipment

I recommend starting with a DSLR. Buy a camera with the best noise reduction possible. Nikon D810 and D3S are my two favorites. Tight with money or just trying yourself in the field of photography? Choose D3400.

Buy the fastest lens you can afford.

Translator's note - "speed" of the lens refers to the maximum diameter of the aperture hole (or minimumf-number). Lenses with larger maximum apertures are referred to as "fast" due to the fact that they can achieve the same exposure with faster (faster) shutter speeds. In Russian terminology, the word "aperture" is also used.

An invaluable advantage of shooting with a DSLR is that you can immediately evaluate the result on the LCD screen, and then adjust the settings and get the desired result. Switching to a DSLR has greatly increased the number of my shots.

What are the best settings to start with?

When shooting lightning, I usually put the camera in manual exposure mode: activate 3D Color Matrix Metering and set the auto white balance. It doesn't matter if I'm using the cable shutter button or the remote, I usually set my shutter speed to f/5.6, ISO 400, and manual focus.

As soon as there is a flash of lightning, I close the shutter. After reviewing the first few shots, I begin to make adjustments. If the flash is too bright and the picture comes out overexposed, I set the ISO to 320 or 250. If the lightning is dim and the picture is underexposed, I need to raise the ISO to 640 or 800.

My secret to getting sharp shots is to keep the shutter open for as little time as possible, unless you're planning to capture multiple shocks. The faster the shutter closes, the sharper the lightning looks. One tool that helps me achieve the desired result is the Lightning Trigger, which connects to the 10-pin camera connector. With it, the shutter opens only when lightning strikes. However, you still need to control ISO, shutter speed, aperture and white balance. My starting point for most situations is Aperture priority and 1/4 second, ISO 250, white balance - auto.

Linear lightning in a supercell during twilight.

Photographer and equipment safety

Lightning is one of the most dangerous natural phenomena. Personally, I have come close to ending my photography career a couple of times. One obvious rule to keep in mind is that if you hear a thunderstorm, lightning can strike.

If there are too many linear zippers around, I stay inside my hard top car and use a glass mount or quickly mount my camera on a tripod while controlling it from the car with the external shutter button.

If you're not sure what to do, always lean towards being safe. The more you learn about this topic, the safer and more successful your shoot will be.

Always disable autofocus. When shooting lightning, it is preferable to focus manually. Setting the lens to infinity focus will also not always produce a sharp shot. Find a distant light source and focus on it. In this case, you will get excellent sharp lightning. If there is no such source, let your friend or assistant move 30 meters away from the camera with a flashlight in his hands, and you will focus on his light.

Try shooting lightning that strikes in front of clouds or away from heavy rain. Water (and especially precipitation) can make the picture less sharp, even if the camera is focused correctly.

Always compose your shot carefully. Try to keep as few distractions as possible in the frame, such as power lines, cars, and planes.

A picture taken with patience and good skill, including proper exposure, will have an amazing impact. People will look at your work and say, "Wow!"

Publication date: 11.08.2015

How to photograph such a fleeting phenomenon as lightning? It would seem that the photographer for this must have some kind of very quick reaction in order to have time to press the shutter button in time. In fact, a quick reaction is not required here.

Nikon D810 / Nikon AF-S 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED Nikkor

Shooting options

To shoot lightning, you need… shutter speed. To capture lightning (or maybe more than one) in the frame, let's try to use our camera as a kind of trap. We select mode S or M on the device and set the shutter speed in it to be more authentic - ideally 30 seconds or more (which is possible with a remote control). Please note that during the day the lighting is too bright, with such slow shutter speeds the frame may be overexposed. To prevent this from happening, it is more convenient to shoot at dusk and at night or use a high-density neutral gray filter. Thus, while the device is shooting at a slow shutter speed, all the lightning that has occurred during this time will fall into your frame. Instead of one shutter speed of tens of seconds, you can set up the device for continuous shooting and take shots with a shutter speed of, say, five seconds.

In the future, all the resulting frames with lightning can be glued into one using Adobe Photoshop. The same can be done with the overlay (multi-exposure) function. This feature is present in advanced cameras from Nikon, we already wrote about it. With this approach, you can place as many lightnings you have caught in one frame. The main condition is that it is necessary to shoot from a tripod so that all the frames to be glued are taken from the same angle.

Necessary equipment

A camera with the ability to make manual settings. It is especially important that it be possible to set a shutter speed of several tens of seconds on it. This criterion is met by modern SLR and mirrorless devices, even the most affordable models, such as Nikon D3300 or Nikon D5500.

Wide angle lens. Take pictures at the minimum focal length with the maximum angle of view. This will cover more of the sky and capture more lightning in the frame. Even a "whale" lens is suitable for such shooting - it allows you to shoot with a very wide viewing angle. The maximum viewing angle is given by specialized ultra-wide-angle lenses. An example of such optics is the Nikon AF-S 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED DX Nikkor for DX cameras and the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED for full-frame cameras.

The rest of the items are desirable but not required. Let's list them in order of need.

• Tripod. It is always needed when shooting at slow shutter speeds. A tripod allows you to fix the camera and get a sharp shot. When shooting without it at a slow shutter speed, everything will be smeared. As a tripod, it is permissible to use everything on which the camera can be leaned: a chair, a table, a car hood, a stone, a hillock. The main thing is to ensure the absolute immobility of the apparatus.

• This is a dark glass that cuts off part of the light entering the apparatus. With the help of a neutral gray filter, you can set long exposures even during the day, without fear of overexposure. The optimal filter would be ND64 or denser (ND400, ND1000). Remember the main trick of using a dense dark filter: first compose the frame and focus, then turn off autofocus, and only then put the ND filter on the camera. After installing such a dark filter on the camera, you will no longer be able to compose a shot or focus, since nothing will be visible in the viewfinder. If you are shooting a thunderstorm at night or at dusk, you will not need such a filter.

• Remote control. Firstly, it will allow you not to shake the camera at the moment you press the shutter button. Secondly, advanced remote control models allow you to fine-tune ultra-long exposures of several minutes or several hours. We definitely won’t need hourly shutter speeds, but the ability to set shutter speeds of several minutes can come in handy. The specific remote control model is selected depending on the camera you are using. Modern cameras equipped with a Wi-Fi module allow you to use your smartphone as a remote control, which is quite convenient.

Shooting preparation and safety

Check the weather forecast. It will help you know if you should expect a thunderstorm in the near future. It is convenient to shoot thunderstorms in regions where they are common. For example, in the summer in many mountainous areas, thunderstorms can occur almost every day in the afternoon.

For shooting, the best time will be the evening hours after sunset and at night. At this time, you can easily take pictures at slow shutter speeds.

Watch the direction of the clouds, notice from which side a thundercloud may appear. Identify several shooting points that offer a good view in this direction. It is quite possible to find such shooting points, for example, near your country house. Or maybe a beautiful view opens from your balcony in a city high-rise building?…

Practice shows that it is best to photograph a cloud when it is just approaching you, hanging over the horizon. During this period, it will be possible to capture her with all potential lightning in the frame. Directly during a thunderstorm, shooting will be impossible due to rain, poor visibility, strong winds and the danger of being struck by lightning. Shooting locations are best positioned according to safety regulations.

Do not stand with a camera on a tripod in an open field, on hills, under lonely trees.

Don't be discouraged if you can't catch the lightning in the frame the first time. Show restraint: take frame by frame until the end or until a thunderstorm comes to you - it starts to rain and there will be no opportunity to shoot.

Think over where you will hide yourself and hide the device when a cloud comes to you and bursts into a downpour. It is unlikely that it will be possible to shoot lightning in a downpour - the visibility is very low, but the probability of getting the camera wet is high. It is best to hide in a house or at least in a tent. At a minimum, bring a raincoat and a photo bag with an all-weather cover.

Most likely, you have already tried many times to capture this natural phenomenon. Did your photos come out with various defects, blurry, overexposed, or generally seemed like a solid bright spot? Have you ever wondered how to shoot lightning so that you can see all its natural beauty and power, every thread of every discharge of electricity? If you understand the essence of the issue, then you can understand that it is not difficult to capture a thunderstorm beautifully, you just need to have a little patience and experience.

How to photograph lightning - the technical side of the issue

In this case, everyone is interested in the most burning question - how can images with lightning be made of high quality? The answer to it is simple - easy, you just need to have a little patience in a kind of hunting for a lightning discharge.

It is the shutter speed, as well as the ISO and aperture, that create the necessary frame that will appeal not only to the photographer, but to everyone who sees it.

Correct exposure

It's not about the speed of pressing the button in order to catch the right moment. Oddly enough, the matter is quite different, and the correct behavior in this situation is just the opposite. Neither a trained finger, pressing the trigger without stopping, nor quick movements will help.

In thunderstorm photography, exposures should be long, from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. The ability to get a good shot is directly proportional to the shutter speed. So do not repeat the mistakes of novice photographers - prepare everything for shooting at once!

It also helps a lot to use the BUBL mode, in which the shutter is fixed in the open state from the moment the button is pressed until the moment it is released. To facilitate the operation of this mode, it is necessary to use the release cable, which fixes the button in the pressed position.

The duration of exposure should depend on the time of day. During the day, ND filters of various densities, or various combinations of several filters, are used to increase shutter opening time.

Before how to photograph lightning, it is worth remembering the simplest rule - the longer the shutter speed, the more the matrix heats up and the more noise is created, and as a result, the likelihood of overexposure in the image increases.

Correct Aperture

If we take logical thinking, then in order to get the necessary sharpness along the entire field of the frame, you need to close the aperture to numbers 11-16. In daylight shooting, this is actually the case, while the closed aperture will serve as a tool for normal increase in shutter speed. However, a little later, after sunset, at night or at dusk, the aperture must be ajar to get a normally exposed card.

Focusing

If all around reigns only solid darkness? The answer is simple - you should be guided by the manual mode! Focusing to infinity is ideal for most situations. If objects in the foreground require sharpness, then they need to be highlighted with a flashlight and focus on them.

The LiveView system is a great help in this case. Most modern SLR cameras include it. It can magnify absolutely any object up to ten times and sharpen relative to it.

Photographing Lightning with Luck

Photographing a thunderstorm can be compared to hunting for rare animals, often the most important factors are patience and luck. The most unique and vivid shots can be taken at sunset, when the rays of the setting sun illuminate the thundercloud. And also after sunset, when the sky has more or less natural light.

Of course, you, as a real lightning hunter, do not care about all these rules. But in any case, extreme caution must be exercised. The fact that the storm front is approaching is best told by the rain gaining strength. In this case, turn off your equipment and leave the place organized for filming. During a thunderstorm, it is forbidden to talk on the phone, but leaving it at home will not be such a sure step. Just in case, put your cell phone in your backpack, after turning it off.

Photo processing

Lightning is characterized by unpredictability, variability and intensity, so it is not uncommon for photographs to be processed afterwards to give them a better look. Lightning flashes can differ in both brightness and weakness - it is rarely possible to set the right balance of settings on the camera.

If a thunderstorm is raging, and you managed to take a lot of amazing shots from one point, then to create the best effect, try to combine all the pictures into one using Photoshop.

And yet, are there any general rules on the question of whether how to photograph lightning? In fact, this is a non-standard type of photography, so you can look for your own approaches to business. Write in the comments what helps you personally in shooting lightning. I am sure that your advice will be useful to absolutely all readers.