P#6: Where Is the Best Place to Photograph Lightning in the United States?

Getting the best photographs of lightning

Jim Zuckerman: This photograph is also a composite. I photographed the lightning in the desert. Those who really love lightning, you should know of three lightning hotspots in the country.

The area that gets the most lightning strikes anywhere in the US is Tampa Bay and it just so happens that it's great to photograph there because you've got the bay which is flat, so you've got the entire expanse of the sky unobstructed.

(fo3870) The second area that gets the most lightning strikes is the Tucson/Phoenix area, either Tucson or Phoenix during the monsoon season of July and August. (click the image for a larger version)

I would say a good four nights a week (and sometimes five or six), they will get a really wonderful display of lightning. Again because you're in the desert, you have an unobstructed view.

When you're in the Midwest and East, one of the problems in shooting lightning are the forests. They just get in the way. So if you're lucky enough to be in a high-rise in Manhattan or on a hill, then you can get better shots.

The third area is in the Denver/Colorado Springs area. Just east of the Rockies there, the storms form along the Rockies and you get some beautiful lightning strikes in May and June -- and actually all summer. I've got some really excellent shots there.

This particular picture, the cactus, was taken in Saguaro National Monument right near Tucson. Then the background lightning I also photographed in Arizona. This looks absolutely real but in fact it was a composite.

In summary

If you're serious about photographing lightning, try one of these hotspots in the United States: Tampa Bay, Tucson/Phoenix or Denver/Colorado Springs.