How to shoot lightning, are there any skills?

Lightning is a common natural landscape in summer. Whenever a rainstorm comes, the wind suddenly rises, the dark clouds roll, and the rainstorm pours down instantly. Thunder and lightning followed, and in a blink of an eye, the earth became another scene. At this time, most people go back indoors to hide from the rain, or watch the outdoor rain scene through the window. As a photographer, how to express this wonderful natural scene through photography? It has become a problem worth discussing.

When it comes to lightning, we often think of lightning and thunder in movies and TV, but they are mostly artificial, not real. As a photography enthusiast, no one wants to take the time to take such a fake photo of lightning and thunder. Why do movies and television use the false phenomenon of lightning instead of shooting real scenes? This is entirely out of the need of shooting work, not to say that lightning can't be filmed. As far as photography is concerned, some people have indeed taken wonderful lightning photos in the past. As long as you master the rules of lightning generation and shooting skills, you can take wonderful lightning photos.

Taking lightning photos can be said to be both easy and difficult. It's easy to say, because ordinary cameras can do it without any special equipment and shooting technology. It is hard to say that it is because the location of lightning is not fixed and the time of lightning is different, so it is difficult to predict accurately, and it often takes many failures to succeed.

As a natural phenomenon, lightning may appear during the day or at night. As far as shooting effect is concerned, daytime is not as good as night. The sky and the surrounding environment are bright for a hundred days, which cannot show the momentum that lightning should have. At night, the situation is just the opposite. The sky and the surrounding environment are dark. A flash of lightning pierced the silent night sky and reflected on the dark sky, with a particularly obvious effect. Therefore, shooting lightning should be done at dusk or at night.

You don't need any special camera to shoot lightning. For general household cameras, as long as there is a B door. Even if you use a low-grade camera, you can take photos of lightning. Just observe carefully, accurately judge the position and flash time of lightning, and adjust the shutter exposure in time. If there is a camera with interchangeable lenses, it is ideal to use a fixed-focus or zoom lens with a focal length of 90mm to 135mn. This can not only avoid too many close-ups on the ground, but also narrow the shooting range, making the picture more concentrated and the subject more prominent. However, the focal length of the lens should not be too long. If the focal length is too long, the lens angle is small and the shooting range is limited. Huge lightning may extend for hundreds of miles, so it can't be drawn, and the depth of field may not affect the clarity of the picture.

Lightning photography is different from general photography and has its particularity. If you want to take a good lightning photo, you must be prepared in advance. For example, choose a shooting site with a relatively open sky and no obstructions around it; Prepare the camera (check whether the shutter fails), lens, color filter, hood, cable and tripod, and defense facilities. Once everything is ready, once the dark clouds roll and the thunderstorm comes, you can get to the pre-selected location in time to prepare for shooting. Don't be unprepared in advance, cram for the Buddha's feet temporarily, be in a hurry, and miss the opportunity.

The direction of lightning is usually uncertain and elusive. So you can't fix the direction of shooting, you can only face the direction where lightning keeps appearing and wait for lightning to appear. The arrangement of the picture should be based on the sky, but the houses, buildings, trees and other scenery on the ground should also be used as the foreground appropriately, so that the lightning photos taken will be vivid and not monotonous.

Usually lightning is shot at night, so it is necessary to aim the lens at the direction of lightning and expose it for a long time. And the time of lightning, like the flash we use, is fleeting. If you press the shutter as soon as you see the flash, no matter how fast you move, it will be too late. Therefore, before lightning occurs, the camera must be fixed on the tripod, and the cable release device, color filter and hood must be installed. Adjust the aperture to f/5.

6 or f/8, when the muffled thunder appears continuously and lightning is coming, quickly open door B or door T, and close the shutter after the lightning light is over. This is the general shooting method. If there is lightning in the distance and the direction is relatively fixed, it is necessary to change a lens with a longer focal length. You can also repeat the exposure so that multiple lightning flashes appear on the same negative.

When shooting lightning, the safety of people and cameras is very important, so we must pay great attention to it, so as not to cause accidental danger because of taking pictures. Generally speaking, the main danger is being struck by lightning, and the way to avoid it is not to hide under big trees or on the edge of tall buildings to prevent the danger of being struck by lightning when shooting.

Shooting lightning in the rain, be careful not to let the rain wet the camera and lens. Especially for zoom lenses, if the lens barrel is wet by rain, the rain must be wiped clean as soon as possible before zooming, and the rain must not penetrate into the lens, causing undue losses.

When shooting lightning in the rain, it is best to add a suitable color filter in front of the lens and wear a hood (to prevent rain from falling on the lens). If possible, you can also use the camera rain cover or use plastic film to handle it yourself. Ensure the safety of cameras and lenses. After use, you should carefully check the water stains and put them away after drying.