Lightning Photography at Hastings Pier — Malcolm Wood Photography

Very Very…Exciting!

So, we’re having a bit of a heatwave here in the South East of the UK, which usually means one thing: thunderstorms!

Last week, I was keeping an eye on the forecast after a weather warning for lightning was issued. That evening, I saw a storm building over northern France and heading our way. I grabbed my camera gear, jumped in the car, and made my way to Hastings on the south coast.

I arrived just in time—lightning was becoming visible over the Channel. My original plan was to shoot from a higher vantage point, looking down at the pier with lightning in the background. But the storm had shifted too far to the left, throwing off the composition. So, I headed back down to the seafront and set up to the right of the pier, lining it up with the storm more centrally.

What followed was an incredible light show.

With the camera on a tripod and the pier framed perfectly, it was all about getting the settings just right. You’d be surprised how bright lightning can be—one of the shots was nearly blown out (I had to pull the exposure and highlights back hard in Photoshop).

Once I dialled in the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, I set the remote trigger to shoot continuously. Below are some of my highlights from the night. And yep—you’d be surprised how many strikes I missed while drying the lens… or when lightning hit during the exact millisecond the shutter was closed. Typical!

What a night. I’m keeping one eye on the forecast—just in case another storm’s on its way!

Thunderbolt and Lightning…

DOMAINS TO DESTINATIONS