One of the great spring and summer events that always make dramatic pictures are the storms that pop up during the evening hours. With digital cameras and a tripod one can set out and photograph a lightning storm after it has passed by. As for the technical data i have my cameras set to record in RAW mode. This allows me to get the most detail and fine tune the image for best quality once i return to the studio. I live in a city where there is a fair amount of ambient light at night so this allows me to keep my ISO, or the cameras sensitivity to light, at around ISO 100 with a F-Stop (aperture) of f5.6 and a shutter speed of around 5 seconds. Then it all comes down to patience, luck, and persistence. I keep shooting until I get a good lightning bolt during one of my exposures, the nice thing with digital is you can shoot a lot without fear of running out of film.  You can also adjust your exposure by checking the screen.

© 2007 Darren Hauck, Chicago DPA Instructor