"Neal Rasmussen's Tips for Severe Weather Still Photography"

I was a professional news photographer for a very brief time back in 1979, at a young age, until I was
'downsized'. I didn't much like taking pictures of people hanging upside down from their seat belts,
but the free access to sporting events was great. I've shot stills for 25 years, and should be better.
Still photography is much harder than shooting video. First, you don't know what you've got until you
get it back from the 'soup'. Secondly, it is a much less forgiving media. I've switched from 35 mm
format to 6x7 cm medium format. I'll never go back, but might be forced someday to go digital.
How often do you see the video you shoot? A couple times a year at 'Storm Parties'? While a nice
framed print can be enjoyed by all who see it, anytime.

                               Tips for Still Photography


1)   Try to have the camera on a tripod. Gee, that sounds familiar, isn't that in the video section?
       Why, yes it is, and even more important for stills. Ok, it IS a lightning rod, but how much more
       of one than you are, I don't know. As I use slow speed film, ISO 100 or even 50, it is a must.
       An exposure for full sunlight, with no clouds, at ISO 100 is a 500th second at f8.0. This hasn't
       changed. Even with global warming. Now under a wall cloud, I've had exposures down to 1/2
       second at f5.6! This is slow! There is no way to hand-hold it. If you go with a high speed film,
       say ISO 800 you get a 1/15th second, and ISO 1600 gets you a 30th of a second. Point is,
       even with high speed, and grainy, film, a 30th second is barely fast enough for use
       without a tripod. Now if you get strong back-lighting from the Rear Flank Downdraft
       area, you can pull it off without a tripod, and even use a decent speed film. But I
       don't rely on that much light being provided. See the Video Tips section on how to
       select a tripod.
      
2)   Take a composition class. Bet there are good free ones on the WEB. Instead of just
       clicking the camera in the general direction of the tornado, try and get a bit of balance
       in the frame. Get behind a fellow chaser hunched over their tripod, or the "antenna farm"
       on the top of some vehichles. If you see an emergency vehicle coming up the road, set up
       the frame on the tornado and wait for the 'cherry tops' to flash by. Actually turn the
       camera on the side and get a vertical shot. No, this won't break the camera.
      
3)   Bracket like crazy! 'Bracketing' is a method of taking several shots at exposures
       just above and below what you think is the correct one. On a shot I really want, such as
       an F3 hovering a tree in the air, still waiting for that. I'll take the exposure I think
       it should be, and when ready to shoot, I turn the f-stop ring 1.5 to 2 full stops, or 3-4
       'clicks', higher. Then shoot one, turn one click lower, shoot, turn one lower, shoot, etc.
       This results in 6-8 shots. One of those will be perfect. I hope. This can also be done
       using an "EV adjustment" dial, common on even low end 35 mm cameras capable of a manual
       over-ride.
      
4)   Get a super wide angle lens. A super wide is a lens 17-25 mm focal length for 35 mm
       format, and 40-50 mm for medium format. This can give a coverage of around 90 degrees
       horizontally. These are great for "whole storm" shots, or if you get too close to a tornado
       and want the funnel and part of the wall cloud in the scene too. The whole storm shots are
       often the most dramatic aestethically. Many of the typical zoom lenses that are very good for
       over-all photography do well, but often only go down to 28 mm. You'll soon appreciate the
       extra 20 degrees of view that a super wide will give you. I've always had a telephoto, but
       found that I don't use it that much, as if there's a tornado down, and I'm far enough to
       use the telephoto, I'm more concerned with getting closer.
      
5)   Lightning! First tip is DON'T GET STRUCK! This can really ruin a chase season. Now
       when photographing from a 'safe' distance, there are two techniques I use.
      
       First is photographing lightning at night. This is very easy. Plop camera on a tripod, and
       just set the camera to the 'Bulb', or time exposure setting. In this mode, the shutter may be
       left open for as long as desired. Framing can be difficult at night, and I recommend you carry
       a small MagLite. MagLite because I have failed to break these things, even though I have
       tried. Put a red gel over the light and then hold it out in front. This will aid in framing
       and getting it horizontal. Now just fire the camera, either holding the it open, or as I'm
       not thrilled about getting 'sparked', get a lockable cable release. Leave it open for as
       many cloud-to-ground strikes as you want. If only one or two are desired, set the f-stop wide,
       or almost wide open, say f2.8 or f3.5. If you want that 'peppered' look, set it at f5.6 or so,
       and get 10+ strikes. I have one shot of 15-20 stikes on a slow moving squall line and it looks
       as though someone really made God mad.
      
       The second technique I really shouldn't tell. Ok, darn. I'm too nice. This technique will use
       up a lot of film. This involves composing a lovely picture all in of itself. Take a nice dusk
       scene or daylight, but very dark squall line or wall cloud. Now, again on a tripod, get ready
       on the trigger. As soon as you see the strike, hit, or rather squeeze quickly, the trigger.
       If the strike was a 'staccato' stroke, only one stroke, you won't catch it. But if it is a
       multiple strike, you might catch the last one or two return strokes. That's enough to get
       a great shot. Don't compensate on the exposure for the lightning. Just set the exposure for
       the normal scene. With this technique and fast 'paintball' reactions, you'll get nine so-so
       nice shots of the scene without any lightning. But the one out of 10 will knock your socks off.
       I mean that figuratively of course. You have to fire it off quickly, but not jerk the camera.
       Again, a cable release will help absorb some vibration. Also, I recommend a pneumatic bulb
       shutter release. These are a hose that is connected to an egg-sized bulb, which you squeeze to
       activate the shutter. I like these because I can be in my Faraday Cage, read car, and if a
       spark takes out the camera, it most likely won't travel up the rubber hose!
      
6)   Keep a log! I haven't, and have paid the price. Write down, or note on the camcorder,
       what exposure, which way the camera's looking, and what you 'think' you captured. This can
       be used for feedback to improve your techniques and exposure settings, advancing you're
       skill about three times as fast as I learned.
      

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