When storms appear, most people take shelter inside their home waiting for the worst to pass. Intrepid photographers are a different breed as they would rather go outside at this time to capture the wrath of nature. Storm photography is difficult but rewarding once you get things right and you see the results. However, it takes a lot of planning and practice. Novices are advised to do the following:
Stay Safe
Both photographer and camera equipment must be kept safe before, during, and after the weather disturbance. This means getting into a good position to capture interesting scenes while being shielded from the pouring rain, howling wind, and flying debris. The camera itself should be protected by an underwater housing or at least a rain hood to prevent water from getting inside.
Tweak the Light
Storm clouds block out the sun and make everything look dark and gloomy as far as the eye can see. Flash lighting is of no use when dealing with landscape photography. The best way to counteract the dim lighting all around is to tweak the related camera settings. The contrast and saturation levels should be punched up for greater detail. The ISO should be set high enough for better sensitivity without making too much of a compromise on image noise. Using a fast lens is also ideal.
Tell a Story
The biggest storms can be extremely violent. Things can happen at a fraction of a second making them difficult to catch. An easier alternative is to snap a series of photographs that show the progression of a certain phenomena like the movement of a tornado or the rise of flood waters, as well as their effects on their surroundings. Photographers must be comfortable taking action shots to time them perfectly.
Capture the Lightning
Lightning, by definition, is too quick to capture on a single click. The trick to catching it is to use a long exposure time of as much as half a minute. It is similar to fireworks in that it is essentially an intense burst of light that rapidly appears and disappears. This is why the preset fireworks setting works well. Those who prefer to have more control can manually change the settings for a low ISO and suitable aperture. The use of a tripod is essential for stability.
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