Best Way to Shoot Lightning

Well, other than having one of those lightning trigger devices, how do you guys capture lightning? Do you find that shorter long exposures (5-1 seconds)work best, or do you go for minutes at a time and hope for the best? I'm expecting some storms tomorrow/tonight and I'm looking to give this a go. Lightning has always been one of my favorite things to watch, and now I'm hoping to photograph too

Shoot in Bulb mode, the shutter will stay open until you close it. It works better if you have a shutter release cable.

http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/Bulb_%28photogr​aphy%29

http://bulbphotography​.com/what.php

Page 84 of your user manual.

I know what Bulb mode is, but thank you for giving the links But then to get the exposure right, you'd have to know when you're going to close it anyway, given the aperture you're shooting at and the lighting conditions. So just figuring out the correct exposure and leaving it open for a while is the way to go?

How appropriate! I just took a shot of lightning a bit ago. Bulb mode is the way to go and a shutter release cable + tripod is a must.

I watched a radar map to gauge storm intensity ("lightning potential") and then just waited taking photos until the right one came along. Not bad for my second attempt at lightning?

For night time lightning you can use the long exposure method and have a good chance of capturing some good lighting shots. However, you do end up deleting the majority of your shots unless it is a really active storm. The other problem is you still need to expose for the scene if you have any bright lights in the field of view. Otherwise, you will capture the lightning but the overall image will not be as impressive or will be over exposed. Take a normal picture of the scene with aperture priority. Take note of the shutter speed and then use this as your starting point for your exposure time.

1-5 second exposures at night may not be long enough to expose any foreground objects and the probability of capturing a lighting strike is minimal unless it is a very active storm. I have never gone longer than 30 second exposures for lightning unless using the bulb method and there are no other light sources nearby or in the scene.

The long exposure method can be accomplished by using a remote and setting the camera at 30 second exposures and then locking down the remote button causing repeated shots. Hopefully lighting occurs during any given exposure. This also can result in multiple lighting strikes captured in one image.

The other way is to use the remote with the camera set to bulb. Hold the button down until lighting occurs within the field of view and then let go. Repeat this process. This allows you to leave the shutter open longer than 30 seconds if the storm is not very active. This method also works best when no other light source is present, otherwise you risk overexposing the scene.

The best way to capture lightning and the only way to capture lighting during the day, is to use a lightning trigger. I have had one for about 2 years now and love it. The lightning trigger goes on the top of your camera in the Hot Shoe and plugs into the slot the remote shutter would go. Turn the Trigger on and it senses the lighting and triggers the shutter.

There are two primary triggers on the market. The Lightning Trigger by Stepping Stone which is more expensive and the AEO Lightning Strike which is more affordable. You still will get wasted images as the triggers will also activate the shutter for lighting that strikes outside the cameras field of view, but your success rate is exponentially higher.

I have used both triggers and they both work great. I currently have the Lightning Trigger. I found the AEO Lightning Strike to be overly sensitive resulting in a lower capture to non-capture ratio. It also would trigger the camera if my cell phone started ringing. I used one of the earlier models and they have since come out with newer versions which may have solved some of these issues. Either way I would not hesitate using or recomending either brand.

For all techniques above you have to use a tripod, and should focus the camera to infinity to make sure the lightning bolts are sharp and in focus. Nothing is worse than knowing you captured some great lightning strikes only to get home and find out they are blurry and not sharp.

If you google this subject there are a number of articles and websites that discuss these techniques and discuss the technical aspects in more detail, such as what the best aperture is based on the distance of the lighting and other similar information. Generally the closer the lightning the smaller the aperture to keep from overexposing the lightning. The farther away the larger the aperture to gather more light.

Good Luck

In AZ, summertime thunderstorms generally pop lightning from the same area.. I was going to try to build a Radio Shack arduino circuit, better for capturing daytime lighting, but also effective at night:
http://www.flickr.com/​photos/iaincaradoc/set​s/72157621660951255/I always try to use LiveView for focus as I have found that the Infinity mark on the lens barrels (on L lenses) are about 1/8" too far and therefore past focus. Liveview enables you to focus on a distant point of light (then click your lens to Manual Focus)

Bulb or Manual mode.

Focus on distant highlight, or manually, or use MF lenses.

ISO to lowest. (unless shooting distant lightning with a very slow lens.)

Adjust aperture to match lightning's brightness. f/8 is a good starting point. Open iris if lightning is 'wimpy,' and close if it starts to blow out. (f/32+ if the neighbor's house is on fire!)

Adjust shutter speed to ensure proper exposure of clouds, etc. If twilight, you can use AE metering of you like.

Now, mash the remote button and 'Rambo' away.