Capturing Nature’s Fury… Lightning Photography Tips

 

 



Photo Courtesy of Alan Highton (our guide for the Catatumbo Lightning photo tours)

My mom used to tell me “the angels are having their bowling tournament”, my neighbor would tell me that “Lightning is how God punished the bad kids for lying”. Boy, it sure was fun growing up in the "Bible belt" in rural Ontario… LOL

Photographing lightning can be quite challenging and even dangerous if you do not use a little forethought and planning. The following tutorial will outline the necessary equipment, as well as explain the tricks and techniques you can employ to safely and successfully capture photographs of lightning the next time the bowling tournament starts in the sky near you.

The Gear: DSLR camera with BULB setting capabilities is preferred, standard telephoto lens or wide angle lens, remote cable release, a tripod for camera stabilization or bean bag for camera stabilization, a lightning trigger and a lot of patience. The lightning trigger is a device that you attach to the camera hot shoe and connect it to your camera’s electronic cable release terminal. When switched on, a forward-pointing sensor will keep an electronic eye out for quick flashes of light from a lightning storm, when it detects one, it will just trigger the camera.

My Gear: Olympus E30 DSLR camera, 14-54mm f2.8-3.5, 11-22mm f2.8-3.5mm, 50-200mm f2.8-3.5mm, cable release, glow in the dark stick to wrap around my tripod so I can see it at night, a 16 gig memory card to capture the hundreds of RAW images, kata rain cover for my camera, tripod and an old pillow case filled with rice to use as stabilization in case the tripod cannot be used.  

The Hurdles: Your first hurdle is general the unpredictability of a lightning storm. Haven’t we all said we wanted to be a weather man because they can be totally wrong on the forecast day after day and still keep their jobs? :-) Lucky for us lightning can be tracked real time and moves in a line inside a weather pattern (generally) There are radar websites that track lightning strikes in your area that you can go online and check whenever you want. This will give you a good idea of where the lightning is coming from, how intense the strikes are and how fast the front is moving.

The second hurdle is positioning. If you are in the country, the limitations of buildings are not going to be an issue for you. If you are in the city, you really need to get away from the apartments and buildings to get a better view of the travelling storm. Position yourself as you wish, just pay attention to the foreground and ground elements to capture much more interesting photos like the photo below.

The third hurdle is rain. Rain generally accompanies lightning. So keeping your camera gear dry is a concern if you are outside.

 

When selecting a location for shooting lightning, you should always keep a mind for safety as well as having a great view of the sky. Local lakes lend themselves quite nicely to lightning photography, unless they happen to be surrounded by lots of trees. Even so, if you can find an unobstructed view in at least one direction, you should be okay.

An open field could work, though your car may be more susceptible to being struck by lightning if there are no other, taller objects nearby. Rest assured, however, that if your car is struck by lightning while you are inside, you will be perfectly safe and unharmed, as the car’s metal exterior will absorb the electricity from the lightning.

Setting up for the shot: Setting up the camera to shoot lightning from within an automobile is as simple as placing the bean bag, or other similar support, on the dash of the car and resting the camera on the dash, with the lens resting on the bean bag. Connect the cable release and that is all that is required! If it happens to be raining when you are shooting, don’t forget to activate your windshield wipers. Doing this will not affect the photograph as slow shutter speeds will be utilized, thus causing the moving wipers to disappear.

Now would be a good time to discuss composition. Photographing lightning is different from other subjects in that you have no control over where and when lightning will strike. In fact, usually, it will strike well outside your lens’s field of view, leaving you with a black image. This can be quite frustrating, which is why I recommend lots of patience.

Setting the camera up in the middle of the dash and shooting through the windshield using a standard angle focal length will greatly increase your chances of capturing lightning bolts that strike within your camera’s field of view. Or, open the side door of the van and set the camera on a tripod. But then you could be standing in the tropics shooting a massive thunderstorm over the water far off in the distance like my buddy Alan did with the photo below.


Camera Settings: Lightning photography requires slower shutter speeds in order to provide enough time that you get at least one fork or bolt of lightning. You can then do one of two things. If you have a lightning trigger, that will trigger the shutter release for you and all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the show. Or, you can use your manual shutter release, set you’re your exposure time to BULB and get involved in how long the shutter stays open.

Personally I like to use the cable release, set the camera on BULB and manually open and close the shutter while the camera sits on a tripod or bean bag.

ISO: 100 – I set my camera’s ISO setting to 100 when photographing lightning. This allows for longer shutter speeds with the minimum possible digital noise.

Aperture  or f-stop: f/9.0 - f/11 – As with the ISO setting, I set the aperture anywhere form f/9.0 to f/11. The main reason for this is to ensure as great a depth of field as possible without sacrificing sharpness of the photograph. I focus somewhere in the foreground to ensure that is in focus, then switch over to manual focus so the camera is not trying to focus everytime I click the shutter... then I just let the lightning show take care of the rest.

Shutter Speed: 4 to 6 seconds, sometimes more – The best time to attempt lightning photography is after dark, thus requiring long shutter speeds. Lightning photography can happen as early as the blue hour, butoptimal results will be achieved after dark. The fastest shutter speed I ever use for lightning photography is 4 seconds. This allows the shutter to be open long enough to capture a strike if the lightning activity is fairly frequent. The optimal shutter speed setting is 6 seconds to as much as 8 seconds depending on ambient lighting and the amount of strikes. This allows the shutter to be open long enough to capture lightning without over or underexposing the image in most cases.

White Balance: Auto – Again, I set my camera’s white balance to the auto setting and leave it because this gives the greatest flexibility and control when post-processing in the digital darkroom. There, I can fine-tune the white balance to suit my preferences for each individual image.

Image Format: RAW – Shooting in RAW format is best so as to allow the most editing options when post-processing, or “developing”, photographs in editing software.

These recommended settings will allow the smallest margin of error and largest chance of success.

Now for the personal plug… LOL… Do you want to go on a photography workshop to see the world’s best lightning storm that happens 300 nights a year in Venezuela? Please us in October of 2013 on Lake Maracaibo for two trips to see a lightning show like you have never seen before.

http://www.photographers-lounge.com/international-workshops/2013-workshops/venezuela-photo-tour

Happy Shooting,

Kev



Picking The Right Photo Tour

A Photo Tour is a great way for the amateur and serious photographer, and their significant others, to visit an area that they wish to see.  However, they are not for everyone.  Photographers that go on a photo tours do so because they have itineraries built around peak photography times and locations. The average person will not want to drag themselves out of bed before sunrise to travel to a location to capture the golden hour.

But keep in mind that even within the photo tour industry there are many different types and styles of tours with a different focus and level of photography time commitment.  A photo tour I set up in India for example has an itinerary where you can choose to participate in some, none or all of the photographic outings, yet still visit the highlights of the Golden Triangle. Another trip I just set up in Tanzania is pure photography; and anyone attending the photo tour without a camera will surely be bored sitting in the back of an SUV for hours watching wildebeest and Zebra run back and forth in the Serengeti.

So how do you choose the best photo tour for you? Here are some things you should consider:

1. Style of Photography

Most people are interested in more than one style of photography. People’s interests are as diverse as landscape, architecture, fine art, people or wildlife.  Most tours are also focused on one or two styles as well.  Sometimes the destination picks the styles for you.  For example, a tour I am doing in Tanzania is most likely focused on wildlife but could also provide landscape photo opportunities.  The tour operator and lead photographer also have preferred styles of photography. You therefore need to make sure the style of photography that the tour is focused on, and the experience of the photography tour leader matches up to what you are interested in.

2. Photography Goals

What do you expect to come home with?  Will your expectations be met while you are on a photography tour?  Discuss your personal goals with the photographer leading the tour and the tour operator. Ask if you will be allowed to take the kind of photos you want to take and what rights are needed to use the photos the way you want to use them.  Laws vary country to country and your tour leaders should be able to inform you of such regulations.

Make sure the places you will visit will also give you the opportunities you are expecting.  If you have specific shots you want to take, ask if you will get the chance.

3. Number of Participants

Photo tours, like all tours, come in all shapes and sizes.  While they are typically smaller than other types of tours, they generally range from 6 – 16 people.  On the low end, you are getting more individual attention and have fewer people vying for prime spots and time with the photographer.  On the high end, you spend more time waiting for other people to be ready or to get out of your shot.  Large groups can still work if you break them into several smaller groups but you need more tour leaders and guides to do this.  Find out how many people the tour will accommodate and how it is staffed.

Less people equals more money and premium photo opportunities, larger tours equals less expensive but possible frustration waiting or vying for premium spots.

4. Experience Required

Some photo tours assume that participants have all the experience they need to take advantage of great photo ops.   Others include workshops or hands on training to take your photography to the next level.  Find out what sort of training is offered and what the experience level is for most other participants. 

 It won’t hurt if you have more experience than most because you can keep shooting while others are learning but it will hurt if you don’t have enough experience to take advantage of the opportunities and no one will assist you.

5. Tour Leaders and Company

Who will lead the tour?  What experience do they have?  What is their style of photography and will they be taking photos too?  You certainly want a professional photographer to accompany you on the tour but who will handle the logistics?  Does someone speak the native language?  Do they speak English?  How are unexpected events handled?  Does the tour company have the resources to correct problems quickly?  The reputation of the tour company and the tour leader should be easy to check.

This was important to me… I had several choices’ partner with unknown tour operators, do all the bookings myself or identify local tour operators that have firsthand knowledge and are accredited in the country they operate in.  I chose to partner with insured and experience operators. It may cost me a little more, but my guests will have peace of mind when travelling with me.

6. Location

Will the tour take you to locations you want to visit?  Don’t assume that all photo tours visit the same destinations in a given area. Our desire to see and experience a place is influenced by what we read or see on TV, the movies or the web.   Make sure your expectations will be met.  If you want to see and experience the great migration on the Serengeti in Africa, for example, make sure the tour you select takes you to the Serengeti and gives you the best chance of seeing it.  However, if your goals are not location dependent and you just want the best chance to photograph African wildlife up close, for example, other destinations may give you more opportunities.

7. Travel Style

How will you get from place to place?  The style of travel varies greatly in different photo tours.  Some tours drive from place to place while others fly or take boats.  Make sure you are comfortable with the mode of transportation.  Ask how many hours a day are spent travelling vs. taking photos?  Sometimes, long travel days are required to reach a desired photo site so ask about the mode and condition of transportation and how many people will be sharing it.  Eight hours on a bumpy road is far more comfortable in a new vehicle with air conditioning than it is in a 30 year old school bus.

8. Type of Accommodations and Facilities

What types of accommodations are used for the tour?  Will you be camping or staying in 5 star hotels?  What types of bathrooms will you encounter?  What level of comfort do you want?  Some destinations have a lot of choices and some don’t.  If you want to photograph tribes in the Amazon Jungle you might have to settle for basic lodges or even tents with a pit toilet.  But if you are traveling in areas that have all types of accommodation, make sure the accommodations will meet your needs.  Before you book a tour, ask for the names of all accommodations and check them out yourself.  What does Trip Advisor say about the selected hotels?  Ask how often you will be expected to settle for a bush toilet, an outhouse or an eastern style toilet and make sure you can accept those conditions.

9. Itinerary

The tour operator should be able to provide a fairly detailed itinerary for the trip.  That doesn’t mean that things won’t change based on weather, traffic and other unforeseen issues but it gives you an idea of what to expect.  Does the itinerary excite you?  It should be full of places you want to see and things you want to do.  If it includes a lot of early morning photography, make sure you’re up for that or they have a way to let you sleep in without inconveniencing the others.  If it includes a lot of free time, make sure you know what your options are for that time.  When will you upload your photos to a computer?  Will there be time to process your photos the way you want to?

10. Physical Requirements

Are you in shape for the tour?  Some tours require a lot of walking, climbing, hiking or other physically demanding tasks to reach the areas where you will take photographs.  Others are less demanding or have ways of accommodating people that cannot walk very far.  Ask how far or how much time you will be expected to walk each day and how demanding the walking is.  Find out if your camera equipment will be waiting for you nearby in the car or bus or if you have to carry it with you.  The tour operator should be able to explain the physical requirements of the tour.

11. Culture Shock

Most people don’t think about culture shock when they select a tour but they should.  What is your reaction to poverty, filthy conditions and dramatically different cultural values?  Where will you be taking photographs?  Where will you stay and eat?  Some people think they want to be immersed in the local culture, staying at homestays in local villages, for example, only to realize that they can never relax.  Find out what the conditions are like at your hotel and the restaurant you will eat at.

12. Budget

Money is always a factor when selecting any tour so make sure you understand all of the costs.  Before you compare tour prices, find out what is included or excluded in each tour so you can determine what the total cost of your tour will be.  Does the tour include meals or are you expected to pay for that separately?  What about entrance fees, camera fees and photo fees?  How much should you include for tips?  Is the flight to the starting point of the tour included?  Are flights during the tour included?  The extras can add up to thousands of dollars so make sure you are comparing total costs.

These are some of the things you should consider when choosing a photo tour.  All tours are not the same so make sure you do your research to find one that’s right for you. This is your hard earned money, you deserve the best trip possible.

Please feel free to see the tours I run through the photographers lounge.

Please see the list of photographers that run our tours.

Surround yourself with trusted friends

I have been slowly growing my photography business for awhile now. Reading as many blogs as I can, networking, refining my photography skills... but the one thing I have done that is paying off in spades is "surrounding myself with other photographers I can learn from and trust". I have met a lot of great people on this fantastic journey. Many local to where I live... supportive, available to bounce ideas off of and go out and shoot with when time permits... These people are numerous and you know who you are... I appreciate all your support and friendship...

But there are a few photographers that I want to single out... these two gentlemen are two well respected individuals in our field that have taught me more for me in the last year than I learned in the last three years.

Rick Sammon... the extremely polite, genuine, hard working man has inspired me in more wanys than anyone else in this industry. It was a suggestion by a friend of mine, Gary Simmons, to contact him to see if he would come to Canada to do a seminar... and after some hard work... he is coming in September of 2012 to Kitchener to run a weekend seminar. This will be Rick's first trip to Canada and 200 people will be comin got be inspired by Rick.

Rick makes available blog entries, his images and tools of the trade. He also runs podcasts, writes books and creates ipod apps for photogrpahers. He is an awesome photographer and an even better teacher. I have learned more from Rick then I did in the beginnning when I was reading Scott Kelby's books.

The learning from Rick isn't stopping either. I will be running a photo tour with Rick in Iceland in 2013 and we are also discussing other trips to Africa and France in 2013.

The other photographer that I want to bring to your attention is Tim Vollmer. I have been following Tim's work for three years. I started seeing his images on Flickr three years ago.

Now three years later I am still admiring his photos, but now I will be spending time with Tim taking photos in various parts of the world. Tim and I will be headed to Tofino together to run a workshop, I will be headed with Rick to run a photo tour in Iceland with Tim. Tim and I are also working with WWF Canada to raise money and awareness. We will be headed to the Arctic Circle with Ethan Meleg and John E Marriott to photograph polar bears and the landscape to highlight the effects of climate change in the arctic.

Tim is an extremely talented photographer and someone that I now consider a friend. If you do not know of Tim, check out his website and check out where Tim is travelling too. He has some fantastic International destinations scheduled over the next 18 months.

Without these two guys I would still be trying to find my way in this industry. But after some mentoring, great opportunities and good advice from both of them I am well on my way in building a successful business with the Photographers Lounge.

Thanks Guys....

Kev

2013 Arctic Expedition

A great movie is coming out in theatres... the scenery is just awesome and I can't wait to experience it myself next year when we travel to the north pole.

The Great Wildebeest Migration

The Great Wildebeest Migration is one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World”. Not surprisingly, this impressive roaming phenomenon is determined by the availability of grazing, which in turn is dependent upon rainfall. Essentially the wildebeest are taking advantage of the seasonal conditions, spending the wet season on the plains in the south-east, and the dry season in the woodlands of the north-west. However, the sheer weight of their numbers also plays an important role in shaping the environment to their needs. In total, it is said that 500,000 zebra, 1.8 million wildebeest and various 100,000 plains game animals make this cyclical journey.

Members of the vast wildebeest herd give birth more or less simultaneously, usually over a period of three weeks sometime between January and March, when optimum grazing is available on the short grass plains at the base of the Gol Mountains.

The Migration is rarely ever the same in terms of precise timing and direction, as local conditions influence grass growth. This means that the wildebeest may move off the open plains earlier in some years and remain in the northern woodlands for longer in others.

The timing of the wildebeest calving is probably linked to the timing of the rut at the end of the rains in May and June. The wildebeest move off the plains at this time to a smaller area which is necessary to synchronize the rut. Interestingly, the rut itself appears to coincide with the full moon suggesting that the mating peak is triggered by the lunar cycle during the month of June.

Typically, the wildebeest head north-west from the short grass plains to the Western Corridor of the Serengeti and its Grumeti River. This watercourse is their first real obstacle and gigantic crocodiles are waiting for the hesitant wildebeest to stumble at the crossing. From Grumeti, the herds move north to cross over the Kenyan border into the Masai Mara. Here again, they must cross a river, this time the Mara with its flotillas of hungry crocodiles and waiting lions.

It is this spectacle that I want to see… the scene so many of us have viewed on a National Geographic program or read about in magazines… Currently I am doing a lot of due diligence, talking to African guides, reading satellite imagery, looking at historical data, researching possible camps to stay at and talking to my tour company to build a trip with a focus on photography.

I have seen trips out there for $10,000 to $12,000 where you stay in first class comfort and dine with silverware on china, then after your eggs benedict you head out to the safari... the sun is high and the best photo ops are gone. I want to create a photography photo tour that keeps us as close to the action as possible… after all, aren’t we all after “the shot of a lifetime” and not morning tea while basking in comfort?

So if Africa is on your bucket list… keep checking back, the Photographers Lounge, www.photographers-lounge.com will have a trip to Africa before this migration is a memory like all the other migrations throughout history. And we will do it at a more attractive price point and designed to get you to the locations when you need to be there…

Check out these "youtube" videos to see what you will be shooting if you decide to come!

Greenland Photo Tour ~ Kevin Pepper, Tim Vollmer

Tim Vollmer has created a once in a lifetime photo tour exclusively for the Photographers Lounge. Sailing on a private sail boat you will follow the glaciers path as well as make stops in Greenland during September, 2013.

Your trip will start from Constable Point, a small airfield on the west side of Hurry Fjord in Jameson Land. There we will sail west between magnificent icebergs that drift down the Hall Basin after calving from the glaciers originating in the Inland Ice.

You will pass Ankervig through the narrow Føhnfjord with the magnificent basalt mountains of Gåseland on the port side and 2000 metres high sheer granite cliffs of Milne Land on the Starboard side.

Anchoring on land at various locations you will have the opportunity to scout for Muskoxen, snow hares, grouse, geese and other wildlife which normally graze on the south facing slopes.
But we will also take you to places like the glacier ridge between Harefjord and Rypefjord for a breathtaking view of Renland and the Inland Ice with endless number of glacier tongues descending into the sea.

Before our tour ends we will make one stop to visit the small village of Ittoqqortoormiit, founded in the 1920s by people from Ammassalik.

It is the most northerly settlement on the east coast of Greenland. The 500 inhabitants make their living mostly by subsistence hunting of seals, Narwhale, Muskoxen and Polar Bear. The quaint little houses dot the rocky slopes of south Liverpool Land with magnificent views of Kap Brewster and the Volquart Boons Coast to the south. Opportunity to visit the village‘s general store to purchase some local handicrafts of bone, soap stone and hides.

This trip is one very few people will ever make. It has not been till the last century that this destination has been available for you to stay and enjoy. Be a pioneer and come with us to take photos very few people have taken and shared.

See the Itinerary

Iceland Photo Tour - Rick Sammon, Kevin Pepper, Tim Vollmer

It is not that often that you get the opportunity to visit one of the worlds most beautiful locations... even more rare that you get to spend it with 3 professional photographers.

For this trip you will be one of twelve photographers to spend 10 days photographing shoulder to shoulder with the talented Rick Sammon, Tim Vollmer and Kevin Pepper.

We begin our tour on the lava scarred Reykjanes peninsula which lies on one of the world’s major plate boundaries, the Mid Atlantic Ridge. We will walk across a small footbridge between the two continents, see craters and an old lighthouse.

From there we travel through lava fields to the Blue Lagoon for a relaxing dip in 38°C therapeutic geothermal water. The Blue Lagoon is surrounded by a moss-covered lava field dating back to 1226.

But this is just the beginning...
You will visit the mountain Hengill geothermal area is one of the largest high-temperature fields in Iceland situated on an active volcanic ridge in SW Iceland.

We will also visit Þingvellir, Iceland’s first national park est. 1930. It is the site of the Viking Age parliament started in 930 AD and is located in a rift valley.

You will also see Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geothermal area. The waterfall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, and Geysir geothermal area is known for its spouting springs. Strokkur (the Butter churn) spouts every 3–8 minutes up to a height of 25 metres.

From here we will travel on Fjallabaksleið nyrðri which means Northern road behind the mountains. Among the sights is Eldgjá canyon (fire canyon). Eldgjá is the largest volcanic canyon in the world, 40km long, 270m deep and 600m wide at its greatest. Ófærufoss waterfall is within the canyon, a magnificent waterfall.

As the trip winds down you will be amazed at Vatnajökull glacier National Park.

Vatnajökull glacier towers over this region and has immensely affected the landscape. We will visit many of Vatnajökull's outlets and outwash areas and the Jökulsárlón lagoon, a famous glacial lagoon full of icebergs were we can take a short boat tour and sail among the huge icebergs, an unforgettable experience!

The glacial scenery continues with a visit to the stunning Skaftafell, Iceland’s second largest national park were the landscape has been formed in thousands of years by different influences of fire and water (volcanic eruptions and the glaciers).

Your next to last stop is Dyrhólaey. This is a 120-meter high promontory, not far from Vík and is the southernmost part of the country. From the top you have a great photographic view.

After Dyrhólaey we drive to Skógafoss which is one of the biggest and most beautiful waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters. Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces a single or double rainbow which is normally visible on sunny days.

Check out out Itinerary.