Lightning photography captures the raw, untamed beauty of nature's most electrifying phenomena, freezing split-second moments of dazzling energy that illuminate the sky. The sheer power and unpredictability of lightning makes each photograph a unique masterpiece, but it also comes with the potential of significant risk. That’s why safety always must be the top priority when photographing storms. Always maintain a safe distance from the storm, use long-range lenses and shoot from a safe, sheltered location or inside a vehicle and stay informed about weather conditions. By balancing the thrill of capturing lightning’s brilliance with apropriate safety measures, photographers can immortalize the dramatic spectacle of storms. Below we feature a group of creators who have managed to capture the power of lightning in the frame – see their striking shots and follow them for more. Have your own compelling storm shots? This week’s Alpha Female+ Weekly Micro-Grant theme is Dramatic Weather! Join the Alpha Female Facebook Group to learn more and enter for your chance to win $500!

By balancing the thrill of capturing lightning’s brilliance with careful safety measures, photographers can immortalize the majestic spectacle of storms.

Mike Meyers – @mmeyers76

Photographer and Sony Alpha Ambassador Mike Meyers has captured some pretty epic cityscape shots in Chicago, but this one is truly something special. He took the long exposure lightning shot over the city’s skyline with his Sony Alpha 1 and Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 

Jess Santos – @missjessbess

Sony Alpha Ambassador Jess Santos has a signature style when it comes to her landscapes and astroscapes. Her imagery maximizes foreground elements to give them an almost otherworldly depth. She created this insane composite below with her Sony Alpha 7R IV and Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master during a Milky Way workshop that turned into more of a storm-chasing workshop. Learn more about the gear Santos uses in What’s In My Bag: An Adventurer’s Kit For Dreamy Landscapes, Astroscapes & Timelapses and follow her on Instagram for more stunning scenes from her adventures.

Stan Moniz – @stanmoniz

We’ve witnessed photographer and Sony Alpha Ambassador Stan Moniz chase storms around the desert in California, but these recent shots below take us all the way to Bolivia. “It's said that capturing lightning on the Salar de Uyuni is extremely rare,” he explains. “If that's the case, I have to say that our group was highly blessed to have seen this unique event take place three days in a row. I'm still buzzing about the experience.” He snapped all of these shots with his Sony Alpha 7CR camera.

Anthony Castro – @anthonys.adventure

Photographer and Sony Alpha Ambassador Anthony Castro is an adventure photographer based in Hawaii. When going to photograph this abandoned church with the Milky Way in New Mexico, a storm came through and he was able to capture the insane experience. He says, This was my first time capturing a storm and I’m ADDICTED." Swipe through below as he also shares video of the lightning strikes.

Erin Newman-Mitchell – @erinnewmanmitchell

Texas-based photographer Erin Newman-Mitchell likes to capture landscapes, cityscapes, astroscapes and more with her Sony Alpha camera and a group of Sony lenses. She captured this storm over the Austin skyline, stacking 13 exposure at 1.3-sec., f/4, ISO 50. Learn more about her photography kit in What’s In My Bag: A Sony Alpha Travel Kit For Landscapes, Cityscapes, Astroscapes & More.

Stefan Liebermann – @stefanliebermannphoto

Stefan Liebermann is a professional landscape and astrophotographer. He travels the world photographing the colors in the night sky, and he also happened to capture lightning in Bolivia, saying, “Lightning over the world's largest salt desert is extremely rare. If you then catch them reflected with our off-road vehicle, the whole thing is quite epic.” He used his Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master to create the awesome image below.

Shauna G. – @shauna.g.photo

Photographer Shauna G. has a passion for photographing wildlife and the beauty of nature. She caught these horizontal strikes in Alabama Hills, California, showing both their force as well as the power of their light as they illuminate the surrounding hills and rock formations.

Shane Ware – @shanewarephoto

Travel, cityscape and landscape photographer Shane Ware also caught an epic storm over the Austin, Texas skyline, and he captured the lightning strikes with his Sony Alpha 7R IV. “These photos were taken during the best lightning storm that I’ve ever seen, with bolts hitting seemingly every few seconds. Since I don’t have an automatic lightning shutter release, I utilized the interval shooting function of the Sony Alpha 7R IV to capture the bolts while sitting back and admiring the show.” Read more about the gear Shane uses in What’s In My Bag: 3 Lenses For Travel & Landscape Photography.

Rami Dibo – @pixtarami

Rami Dibo is a Dubai-based professional photographer and videographer. He often captures lightning strikes over the city’s skyline, and he creates the main image below (a two-image composite) using his Sony Alpha 7R IV and Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master.