Hi and Welcome to my Tips and Tricks page.

Here I will show you the techniques and tricks I have used over the years. I have chased storms and had alot of fun, but now I wait at my farm and let them come to me.I will start by saying that I am NOT a photography expert. I am an amatuer hobbyist that loves watching Lightning. I consider Lightning to be Mother Nature's Light Show. One that could not be duplicated or equaled by any man-made device.

First thing you will need is a proper camera. Film camera or Digital camera, either will work. Some prefer film cameras,which they believe gives a better picture.I now only use Digital cameras, it was too expensive to get film processed into pictures and to only get an envelope of black pictures. With Digital cameras you are only limited to the amount of memory you have in your camera. Digital cameras are now very inexpensive and you can afford to buy more than one camera. Which is the best way to get lightning pics. The More Cameras you have , the better your chance of getting a picture. I also recomend using a tripod for all lightning pics. You need to leave the shutter open for extended periods of time, and trying to keep the camera perfectly still for these amount of times is impossible.

I would suggest using at least a 5.0 megapixel camera. With the higher the MP the better the picture will be. I have used smaller than that and taken some pretty good pictures, but better MP = better pics. Using more than one camera also is a big advantage as you can capture more of your target area with a shutter being open at all times. You need to program your camera so the shutter stays open for as long as it can, thus giving you more time when camera is actually taking a picture. If you have more than one camera, you wait til one is done taking a picture then ckick the next camera. With the idea of the best set-up , enough cameras to have a shutter open at all times. So if you have 4 cameras that will stay open for 15 seconds each, you have it made.I have made my own tripod mount so I can use 4 cameras with one tripod, pictures of some of these are in the tips and tricks Pics area.

Next you need to be in the right location to get pics. A storm as it appraoches or leaves your area is the best. Once the storm is on top of your position the lightning will be coming from all directions, so it will be hard to tell which way to point the camera(s)Rain is also a deterent to getting Pictures as rain is usually present with a storm strong enough to produce lightning. And getting your equipment wet is not an option with digital cameras. I made a cover for the back of my pick-up, so we can be out in the middle of a field, and still be able to take pics while it is raining. There are also pics of this cover in the Tips and Tricks Pics area.

The next and final thing you will need is luck. Getting a picture of lightning is as much preparedness as it is luck. That and time invested will get you some Pictures of Lightning. Good Luck. If You have any tips or tricks that work for you,or any questions, leave a message on the Message Board.

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