Taking Lightning Pictures

I started taking pictures of lightning, but I use a camcorder on a tri-pod because we get lightning very close by to our house (closest was about 40 meters, and I got one picture on camcorder at about 320 meters away). In these circumstances it is suicide to be outside with a camera, or even trying to film from inside (sticking the camera between burglar bars is also not a good idea), so I leave the camcorder filming lightning outside. To give you an idea how close is close: My fianc� was struck through the garage key from flashover while trying to unlock the garage door. That lightning bolt hit an electrical substation next door about 40 meters away! It has taken 4 years to get her reflexes back in her right arm.
On another occasion I was standing in the kitchen doorway looking outside and I only heard a crack sound - no loud bang of thunder, and I felt a shock wave of air hitting my chest as if a tank was firing a shell off nearby! That was terrifying! We still love the lightning and I can' wait for the next season to start, but we have come to respect lightning a whole lot more than we used to. It only takes one close encounter with lightning to scare you off forever. We still persist but with extreme caution!
We believe the substation next door is responsible for attracting a lot of close by strikes!

Where and when will lightning strike next? Well it is almost impossible to tell exactly where lightning will strike. What I do, is check for a cloud "shelf" in the storm clouds. A storm shelf is found by looking for where the clouds are lighter and darker. This forms a sort of ridge or shelf, you can clearly see in some of the pictures on this site. I find this shelf or ridge to be one of the more promising areas for lightning to occur and strike from. But as we all know - lightning can strike anywhere and anytime during a thunderstorm.

So how do I do it? Well a camcorder is the easiest and I find it safest! Ok, look for a promising "shelf" or "ridge". There will likely be more than just one lightning strike off a cloud shelf or ridge. I have a Panasonic Camcorder which I mount on a tripod to film the lightning. I find this the easiest way because of a few advantages. Firstly it's easy to setup. Secondly there is 1.5 hours of filming space on one mini tape. Thirdly I don't have to be next to the camera all the time. I usually sit next to the camcorder enjoying the lightning show anticipating where the next will be. Of course I usually go inside when the lightning strikes start getting too close. I also built a lightweight aluminium cover which fits on top of the camcorder. This keeps rain drops off the lens in light rain if there is not too much wind. You have to adjust the camera on the tripod every now and again depending on cloud movement and shelf locations.

Disadvantages of using the Camcorder. Firstly you have playback the entire film looking for a lightning strike. Once you find a lightning strike on film you have to then go through it frame by frame capturing each frame which has the lightning on film and copy that to the memory card. Next you have to get the pictures from the camcorder memory card copied to computer. So the process is very time consuming. Secondly you don't get super high resolution pictures. But for an amateur like me, it's fine for now. Thirdly, filming lightning at night is a waste of time because the focus and resolution are worst. I have tried all sorts off setting with the camcorder, but have had no luck yet.