How to Photograph Lightning
- 1). Study the weather patterns in your area so you'll know the best place get a good view to shoot. Watch a particular storm before shooting. See where the lightning is, how far away and what type it is. This makes it easier to predict where the next strike will be.
- 2). Find your spot and make sure it's a safe place. You don't want to run the risk of getting struck.
- 3). Mount your camera on a tripod and attach the cable release. Make sure your tripod is on level ground and not at risk for movement.
- 4). Turn off auto focus. Set your camera to infinity or manually focus it.
- 5). Set your camera to the "bulb" setting so you can get a long exposure.
- 6). Choose your F/Stop. This could be tricky, and you may have to try a few different ones to get the right setting. F/8 will allow you to do longer exposures.
- 7). Press down the cable release and hold it until the lightning appears. Depending on the surrounding lights, you could keep your shutter open up to 5 minutes.
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