Taking Successful Photos in Bad Weather - Photographing Storms

By Andrea Bruchwitz

White living room with an image of a distant thunderstorm over a city - © WhiteWall.com.

In Europe, the "storm season" begins at the end of April. The sun's rays cause temperatures to rise and layers of temperate air to shift. It's an exciting time for photographers - but to capture a thunderstorm on film takes a lot of time and patience. Setting up the camera is extremely important, and must be done manually. Ideally, the lightning strike should be bright but not overexposed, and the landscape scene dark and mystical. Thanks to this tutorial by our Product Manager Jan-Ole Schmidt, you'll be able to take the most beautiful photographs.

Tip 1 - Use a tripod for storm photos

Even the slightest camera shake will show up in the photo, which is why a tripod is absolutely essential. In addition, a cable release prevents contact with the camera. The latest models from Canon and Nikon can even be controlled via a smartphone app.

Lightning striking over a city at night - © Jan-Ole Schmidt.

Tip 2 - Choose a long exposure in the event of a storm

Because of the dark background, a long exposure time is required for the lightning to reach the sensor. The less lightning there is in the sky, the longer the exposure time should be. Our photo specialist Jan-Ole Schmidt recommends an exposure time of between 10 and 30 seconds. "However, 30 seconds is considered the maximum, otherwise the area surrounding the lightning may appear slightly 'washed out'".

Tip 3 - Choose a low ISO value

To capture storm clouds in a mystical, dark atmosphere, the ISO value should be as low as possible (recommendation: ISO 100). This also avoids the dreaded "image noise".

Thunderstorm striking over a sea.

Tip 4 - Choose the sweet spot for your lens

Since the stormy sky is captured with a wide-angle lens, the aperture value is of less importance. Nevertheless, most lenses have a "sweet spot" at aperture value 8, where resolution performance is highest. Because of the dark background, a long exposure time is required for the flash to reach the sensor. If lightning is difficult to perceive, open the lens slightly. The formula is: high aperture value = low aperture value.

Tip 5 - Photograph lightning in bursts

"For thunderstorm photos, it's best to have a continuous shooting function, otherwise you risk missing the lightning," advises WhiteWall specialist Jan-Ole Schmidt. Since it's impossible to predict the exact moment of lightning, it's best to take as many photos as possible.

Two lightning bolts striking at night - © Jan-Ole Schmidt.

Tip no. 6 - Photographing storms in daylight

Anyone wishing to immortalize a thunderstorm in broad daylight needs to adapt the settings, as a long exposure (as recommended above) would result in overexposure. Tip: a gray neutral density filter inhibits daylight and allows slower shutter speeds.

Tip 7 - Show the storm in high definition

For storm photos, an ultraHD photo print under Plexiglas is ideal. Compared with conventional photos, the ultraHD print offers significantly greater sharpness in the fine details of the image around the flash. WhiteWall software optimizes the image and employs a new exposure process using a solid-state laser to achieve maximum quality in all areas of the image.