Perth weather put on an uncharacteristic lightning show recently, more suited to the Wet Season in the likes of Darwin. We get lightning here in Perth on odd occasions but this event was constant and continued for hours over 2-3 nights. It was my first attempt at lightning photographs, so I was lucky to be able to practice with the frequency of the lightning flashes, and I needed it. I have taken many fireworks photos before and basically used the same technique – camera on a tripod, set on bulb, manual focus and held the shutter open depending on the light intensity, anywhere from 4 – 15 seconds. I opened the shutter when there was no lightning and just hoped a flash occurred within the next 15 seconds, usually I wasn’t disappointed. I decided to call it a night when the street lights went out and the thunder and lightning occured at the same time!
I will have to look into what I should/ could be doing to improve my first efforts.