Thunderstorms Lovers

Thunderstorms usually frighten people, from young children to adults. However, when some people hear a thunder, it means it is time to get their cameras and starting shooting.

Taking photos to Thunderstorms is a hobby for many people around the world. The colors, the strength, the light, all this attracts us.

I'm going to share with you some tricks and advice to take good photos to Thunderstorms.

And don't forget to participate on the Duel. I want to know if you're a fan or afraid of Thunderstorms.

All Photos were courtesy of GeekPhilosopher: Instant download of free stock photos, images, backgrounds, and desktop wallpapers. Pictures can be used for personal and commercial web sites.

Photographing Thunderstorms is considered one of the most difficult things in photography. Not because of the skills required but also because of the unpredictability of this natural phenomenon. You never know when it is going to happen and if you're going to be able to photograph it from where you are.

Taking a photo to a Thunderstorm has some tricks. You won't be trying to shoot when you see the thunder - that would be impossible. The trick is to choose a good place (pick a place that looks good even without the lightning) and open the shutter. Then, you just have to wait for the thunder. Once that happens, and the lightning occurs within your camera's view, you just have to close the shutter and go for another photo.

The exposure time should be between 20 to 30 seconds. You should use the widest lens you have to catch as much sky as you can in the photo and try to keep the horizon as low as possible.

The rest of the job is afterwards with the photo editing. This is were you are going to make all the miracles happen. You can make your lightning stand out more from the photo and change the colors to make it more lively.

Another trick is to stack your thunderstorm photos. That can be done when you have an active storm and have a lot of good shoots of lightnings. With the Bridge option (available on Photoshop), you just have to copy the photos on top of each other. And the Bridge will do all the work itself.

One of the most important thing to take a good photo to a Thunderstorm is a Tripod. That is going to help you to get stable photos. You just have to choose the correct position of the camera and take the photos.

Other equipment that can give you a lot of help is a Shutter Release (like the one in the photo). With this equipment you just need to click the button on the remote to take a photograph. Make sure that you buy one that matches with your camera.

The thunder noise occurs because of the many electricity shoots that happen when the lightning strikes. That electricity passes through the air and causes vibrations. And the thunder is caused by that vibration (every sound is a result of one vibration).

The thunder always comes a few seconds after the lightning because of the difference between the speed of light and sound. The light travels much more quicker so the thunder comes after the lightning.

By calculating the seconds between the lightning and the sound of the thunder, you can calculate how far the thunderstorm is.

You can make your calculations here.

You must keep in mind that once someone gets struck by a lightning, the chances of surviving are almost zero.

So, has you probably won't survive to a strike, you must be aware of some important tips to be safe while shooting.

To take good Thunderstorms photos you have to be outside your house, so you have to keep away from trees, tractors, bicycles and farm machinery.

Try to avoid being on the top of hills or in open field, otherwise you're going to be an easy target for lightnings.

Be extra careful with all this advice if you are less than 10 km away from the Thunderstorm.

If you are one of those people that almost panic when you hear a thunder, I have some special advice for you.

You just have to keep calm and try to remain inside a building (home, at work, etc.).

While you are inside, during the thunderstorm, you just can't:

- Take a bath;

- Use the water tap;

- Keep away from metal objects;

- Keep away from plugs;

- Avoid using the telephone.

If you follow these rules, nothing bad will happen to you. Just try to relax and keep your mind off the thunders. You know that they can not hurt you.

Do you like Thunderstorms?