Lightning: lightning is an electrical discharge in the atmosphere, very similar to a spark. It is the electrical breakdown of insulating air to provide a transient, conductive path along which a current can run to neutralize the charge. Lightning mostly occurs in thunderstorms, it seems to be a phenomenon occuring in large volumes of particle clouds when they are being transported in the atmosphere.
Photographing lightning: You need a (D)SLR camera which can do time-exposures (sometimes indicated as Bulb mode), mounted on a tripod. Advised is to use 100 ISO and aperture settings between f/2.8 and f/11, depending on the intensity of the lightning you see (for very intense, blinding lightning, use f/11). Focus the camera to infinity, open the shutter and wait for any lightning to occur within the camera's view. The maximum exposure time at night varies between 2 and 5 minutes, using 100 ISO. The key idea is that the film/sensor is very slowly exposed, and gets the image as soon as lightning lights up the area. A camcorder can also be used to catch lightning, but detail is ofen low. Lightning motion, especially with anvil crawlers, can be a good subject when using a camcorder though.
Please note: Photographing lightning can be very rewarding, but be aware that lightning kills many scores of people every year!
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