Some of the best and most beautiful nature photography highlights nature's dangerous aspects: wild animals, bizarre weather patterns, and, of course, lightning. We've all seen those gorgeous shots of lightning jagging across the sky and wondered how on earth the photographer managed to catch that split second of light.

Well, unfortunately, there's no one trick to it. Lightning, by its very nature, is an instantaneous phenomenon, and it's extremely difficult to catch. You just have to be waiting, ready, and lucky. With these tips, though, you might have a bit of an edge on Lady Luck when it comes to adding some stunning lightning to your collection of nature photography.

Tip #1: Photograph at night.

There's no real point trying to photograph lightning during the daytime. It just doesn't work. The contrast isn't there, and there's no point wasting your time.

Tip #2: Keep watching the skies.

This one is just common sense: watch the skies, then set up your camera facing the most active area. Of course, it will probably change to the other side as soon as you're set up, but you might get lucky.

Tip #3: Be patient.

It's what everyone hates to hear, but patience is the prime directive of nature photography. Nature simply does not behave on command, so you have to be willing to sit around for a while. Point your camera at the sky, sit back, and hope to hit the right moment.

Tip #4: Keep trying.

The easiest way to do this is to open the shutter for thirty seconds. If you don't catch anything, close it and try again. You'll have to focus manually and keep trying if you want to get your shot.

Tip #5: Set things up properly.

As with any nature photography, settings are all important. Your best bet is to set the lens at f8, use a tripod, and focus manually. Skipping any of these steps will result in a blurry, insignificant lightning photo -- if any at all.

Tip #6: Choose your lens with care.

If you want to be sure of capturing lightning, you can use a wide lens -- but it'll capture the entire sky, dulling your lightning shot. If you want a really great narrow shot, you'll need a telephoto lens. You can see the problem, of course: with a telephoto lens, you're limited to a very narrow part of the sky.

In nature photography, patterns are all important. Lightning tends to occur in the same basic spot over and over. Keep your ISO low, use a 100mm to 200mm telephoto lens, and play a guessing game until you get the shot you want.

Follow these handy tips (and others from 7PhotographyQuestions.com), and you'll have a great lightning shot to add to your collection of nature photography... eventually!