How to Photograph Lightning

Follow these steps and you won't miss that one-in-a-million shot.

It's surprising how easy it is to photograph
lightning and it's mostly a matter of setting up your tripod and
waiting. When a storm hits, watch for a few minutes to better anticipate
the lightning, and keep your distance to avoid being struck or soaked.
Here are three ways to make sure you don't miss a one-in-a-million
shot.

1. Choose Your Storm
The most dramatic? Flash lightning bolts that go cloud-to-ground and are
less than 15 miles away. Sheet lightning, where the lightning illuminates
clouds from behind, is very photogenic, but it &;s much less
predictable& and more dangerous. Set your tripod far enough away from
the storm that wind and rain don't affect your image.

2. Compose Your Shot In Advance
Frame your image with a low horizon and the action in the sky is your
main subject. But be sure to keep an interesting shape (e.g., a building
or tree) in the foreground to give perspective and context. Set your focus
manually to infinity, so that your camera's AF doesn't  go
hunting in the dark.

3. Shoot In Manual Mode
Set a wide aperture (unless you want to capture details in the near
foreground) and a low ISO. If you're shooting at night, set your
shutter to Bulb which keeps it open until you release it and
wait for lightning to strike. You may be able to simply leave the shutter
open while you wait, but when there's a lot of light pollution, your
frame may overexpose in just 30 seconds.

In daytime storms, underexpose 1 or 2 stops from the cameras meter
reading to help the bolts stand out against the background. Set your
shutter for 1/15 or 1/30 second long enough to catch the strike but
short enough to maintain contrast.

Once you see the first strike, just start snapping