Lightning Only Strikes Once

There are times as a photogrpaher when you happen to be in the right place at the right time, and you need to be quick to capture a fleeting moment. Then there are times where you set yourself up for a shot and wait and wait some more. Waiting for a precise moment to press the shutter. Hoping for something amazing to happen. At times like this, it is important to remember two old adages: patience is a virtue, and good things come to those who wait.

I had some experience with this earlier this summer. Late one summer night, a lightning storm was rolling in from the west. I decided to try to photograph the storm since I had never tried something like that before. I set myself up underneath our deck for some protection from the rain. I proceeding to take photo after photo with about 30 second exposures. But everytime, the lightning would strike right after the shutter closed or off to either side of my view. It was very frustrating. But I persisted, snapping shots for almost two hours. And at the end of it all, I only had one decent photo. It is definitely not the best or most interesting shot of lightning out there, but it was the first photograph of lightning that I've ever gotten. So for me, it was worth standing two hours in the rain during a lightning storm.