I love chasing storms!!!
I am not a fan when storms come and chase me, but if I can go after them it is AMAZING!!!! Below is some information on my storm chasing gear so you can be ready when things heat up!
BEFORE I START A WARNING!!!
It is great to get some amazing storm pictures but be careful!!! If you are not familiar with storms find someone to go out with for the first few times or take a course. No picture is worth a death!!
Lightning Set-ups
I often get asked about how I do my lightning pictures so below is my current set-up. I have it tweaked so that it works really well and at the same time it keeps me safe. With this set-up I can shoot a storm and keep following it across southern Alberta without a problem.
Tips
- I usually run two cameras at a time set on different areas of the sky. Sometimes even with different ISO, Shutter speed and aperture to get different effects
- Camera settings (ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture) will vary with the lightning, intensity and the time of day that you are shooting
- I like this set-up over using the tripod as it is safer and I am able to move to follow the storm easily with minimal packing
- I have two additional vehicles for shooting from. The first one is a class C motor home, when I am doing lightning from this unit I find a good spot and shoot the storm as it passes. The class C is designed to get to an area and shoot the storm and not to follow. The next vehicle is just getting ready for this years storm season and that is a Ford Transit van, with the sliding side door on the side I can shoot out of the van while sitting inside.
Forgot to add – Shut the vehicle off when shooting, pictures will be sharper!