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Originally Posted by CanisLupusArctos
From stormchaser to stormchaser: What sort of safety precautions were you taking (if any  ) |
I like to believe I have a healthy respect for the power of these storms. However, as you know there's really no safe way to chase lightning. The general consensus is that there’s NO safe place outside in a thunderstorm. Most lightning safety groups say if you hear thunder or see lightning you need to get inside a substantial building or a hard top automobile. Even the old 30-second rule (between flash and thunder) isn't supported any more.
I've thought of making something to mount my camera inside the car but for now I try to be "reasonable" in my quest. Most of the shots I've taken have been as the storm approach although I've has some luck after storms pass as well. I more-or-less follow the old 30-second rule to not let any strike get closer than 6 miles (in theory). But I've already seen that this isn't fool proof. I had one strike that was only ~2 miles away from me in June and unfortunately it wasn’t even in the camera’s field of view. For what-it’s-worth I’m never more than a few steps away from shelter (usually my car) but that won’t help if a stray bolt sneaks-up on me.
The lightning in the shots I posted here is about 6 to 10 miles away and taken as the storm approached. Keep in mind that the last one is a cropped-shot so it looks much closer. The lightning in this one was actually the farthest away of any of these shots. I’ll post the original if I can find it. I left almost immediately after each of these shots for safety and to get my camera undercover before the rain started.
I'm not quite foolish enough to stay out through an entire storm. I use a quick hit-and-run approach before or after but I make no claims that it's a safe thing to do.
I hope this wasn't too long of a ramble...