Introduction:
My love for photography is, in many ways, a love for the physical world around us and a celebration of its temporary nature. A lightning bolt, a meteorite, a hand, a face, a piece of art or a dead lizard, or maybe some friends you’re in a band with—I photograph them all. These things happened. They existed for a moment. Look at this photograph, the proof is right here.

I have been a professional photographer for twenty years. My body of work has covered everything from commercial photography to stock photography to art photography. Basically, I photograph anything that fits in the categories person, place or thing.

Lightning 050

Shooting Lightning - Technique:

Shooting extreme weather can be very dangerous. That is why it is important to be prepared and take the necessary precautions. The buddy system is used in other activities like scuba diving, and I think it’s wise to employ this system when shooting extreme weather like lightning. You want someone there who is watching your back and vice versa. If this is not possible, try to inform others before you leave for a shoot, letting them know as accurately as possible where you are planning to go.
After pre-packing your camera gear, make sure that all metal objects are out of your pockets. This includes metal belts, metal eyelets in your shoes, metal glasses frames, etc. It is the nature of lightning to be attracted to metal objects. Remember, you want pictures of lightning, not hot pockets!
It is important you have a weather radio, a cell phone, rain gear, and a towel to wipe down your equipment. You vehicle should have good tires, new windshield wipers, Rain-X on the windows, maps, money, credit cards, and a full tank of gas.
Rarely does the storm come directly at you. If it does, be happy, set up your gear, and move back away from your cameras. Remember, your camera and tripod are metal. In most cases, you will have to get in your car/truck, and drive as close to the storm as you can get, before the rain starts. The lightning is the most clear before the rain refracts it.

Prologic Ad Campaign

Shooting Lightning:

I have been photographing nightscapes with lightning for almost 20 years. In the beginning, it was the pure power of the storm, developing techniques, and documentation which intrigued me. As my skills progressed, I realized I enjoyed the risk of being in the storm while most stayed indoors because, for me, the greatest thing about photographing lightning is being there. You experience much more lightning than you can ever capture through your camera. The next best thing is the images you bring back. These images serve as a remembrance of that moment and, without proof for other people, some of the storms you experience would just sound like a big fish story.

In addition to the storm itself, I am also interested in those few who choose to be out in the storm. Whether they are standing outside at a vulnerable point or in their cars, these people are experiencing what I am experiencing. They move into the frame of my camera and become part of the photograph. My lens detects the faintest motions of their bodies, or low glow of their car taillights, or the racing of their high beams. While I am documenting the storm, these people, their cars, their homes have also been documented.

As a commercial photographer, I have gradually been transitioning into digital photography. However, even with the advancement of digital photography, these nightscapes must still be shot with a traditional film camera. I cannot get the clarity, detail, or color with a digital camera that I get with a film camera using long exposures over 5 minutes. Film keeps the process mysterious and I never know if I got the shot until the film is developed. you can see from the result, though, some things are well worth the wait.

Timberland Sports Wear

Beginnings:
From the ages of 2 to 5 five years old, my father was a picture on the mantel. Everyone would point to the photograph and say, “That’s your dad.” And I’d answer, “Yep. That’s my dad.” And the truth is, I really thought the photograph was my dad, whereas other people had a real dad. Of course, I was disappointed.
My dad was missing because he had been in a horrible plane accident. An accident that would, as it turned out, require three years of hospitalization for recovery.

So when my dad came home, he was home for about two weeks before he put on the baseball cap he had been wearing in the picture on the mantel. I said to him, “Dad?” And he said, “Yeah, who’d you think I was.”
My dad was eager to make up for time lost. Taking pictures was one of his ways for bridging this chasm, I think. But I would have none of it. So my dad said, “If you’re not going to be in the pictures, then you should take them.” So he bought me two toy cameras, my first cameras, a 35mm camera and a 2 1/4 square Format camera.

I took pictures throughout my childhood. When I was twelve, my family moved to Tucson, Arizona. I hated it. It was too hot, it was too bright and there was nothing to do. This all changed when I saw my first monsoon lightning storm. Unlike other parents who would tell you to come away from the window, my father and I would stand in the yard and watch the storms with the same amazement as they moved down over the Catalina Mountains and across the city.

Jeff & Mom & Dad 2005

Bill Smith

Smith Family

Jeff with 2 cameras

Pima Years & Meeting Tom:

High school left me, like it does most, unsure of the road ahead. My experiences in drama department sparked an interest in acting and directing. But I wasn’t as certain about these interests as I was photography.
Flash forward two years: I was attending Pima Community College taking advanced photography courses offered by master photographer Lou Bernal. This turned out to be a blessing in many different ways. I became part of a very diverse and talented group of photographers (David Elliott, Camille Bonzani, Tom Willett, Chris Benson, Sharon Holnback, and Marietta Bernstorff to name a few) all studying with Lou Bernal at that time. In fact, I remember Lou telling us we wouldn’t understand until many years later how lucky we were to be a part of such a rare dynamic. Our collective work was expansive, everyone was developing their own unique style while drawing inspiration and energy from everyone else’s work. We were feeding off of each other, and taking big jumps in our individual artistic evolution in the process.

It was within this group of photographers that I met Tom Willett. Very quickly, Tom and I realized we shared the same intense connection to photography. In time, we began photographing special events together, sometimes shooting images of people and objects side by side. The interesting thing for me was our photographs turned out completely different. This was even more surprising when it came to shooting lightning. We would open our cameras in different directions, and leave them open for different lengths of time. Sometimes we would get the same great thunderbolts, other times there would be a mystery bolt captured in only one of our frames. Rarely would they look exactly the same. I believe everybody has their own internal clock and opens and closes shutters to them. Part learned, part intuition.

Going Pro – Working for Tim Fuller

Working for Tim was my first experience in the arena of commercial photography. After coming from a fine art photography background at Pima, Tim was the first to show me that commercial photography was about reinvention. First, you need to do what the client wants and then go beyond it. This means every time you approach a job, a photograph, you approach it with new eyes. A photographer who is passionate about the craft is a photographer whose skill level is always changing, growing, and so is always using those new skills—and the new eyes which accompany them—to create the next shot. I worked for Tim for several years, we used each other’s ideas to form and reform each other’s photography and, in the process, challenged each other to become better photographers.

Esquel Pallasite (meteorite)

Hot Shoe Salon Photographic Print Sale

Studio 455:

Dave Elliott and I opened this studio in April of 1992. He shot still life, I shot people. Through this professional relationship, I have evolved into the photographer I am today. This relationship also helped me develop as a businessman because I learned how to deal with people and smooth out the more abrasive sides of my personality.
One of the things that Dave and I started many years ago was a photographic print sale. The idea has evolved over the years into what is now known as the Hot Shoe Salon, a bi-annual print sale showcasing 20 of Tucson’s best photographers, held at Studio 455. We are still doing it now, http://www.virtualtucsonmagazine.com/printsale.html and the success continues to grow. Our next sale will be in the winter of 2005.
Dave left the studio for a job with Swanstock and eventually Imagebank which relocated him to New York City.
I continue to run my photography business out of Studio 455 and in 2002, launched the online entity of my studio, Fotosmith (www.fotosmithusa.com). I have always been a chameleon of photography because I’ve never been exclusive about one form or another. But I probably still most enjoy photographing people and standing out in a good lightning storm. The similarity between the two: they both require your immediate attention with the difference being one is slightly more life-threatening than the other.

Out of The studio

There are some commonly known rules about ways to measure the distance of lightning by the delay of the thunder. Find a scientist for that. Here is a tip that is equally important: Lightning can hit anywhere at anytime. You see it jumping out of a storm in one direction for twenty minutes, and then suddenly a bolt will drop right beside you. Always respect nature. Use your vehicle as a your shelter. Keep the windows rolled up. Don’t park underneath trees, and don’t park on the top of the hill. When adjusting your camera, do it one person at a time, leaving one person in the safe vehicle. Common sense dictates many ot these simply guidelines, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them. It’s easy to forget simple rules when you’re in the midst of a really powerful lightning storm.
Correct equipment means different things to different people. One camera is good.

Three is better! With only one camera, you can only shoot one direction, with one lens, obviously. By using multiple cameras, and lenses, you increase your chances of capturing a great bolt. I use 35mm Nikon and Canon cameras. My medium format system is Hasselblad. My video system is SonyDV. I have a wide variety of lenses made by the same manufacturers for each system, and find that the prime lenses (non-zoom lenses) provide the sharpest images. A sturdy tripod is also a necessity to achieve a sharp image. I use Gitzo tripods and heavy duty Gitzo heads. They are great because they can get wet, and they last forever. Do not forget to bring a cable release, so you will be able to shoot long time exposures, waiting for the lightning to strike while the shutter is open. Here is a good rule of thumb: lightning that is ten miles away should be shot on bulb, at an f-stop around 5.6, on ISO 50 film.

How long the shutter should be left open depends on the environment and light conditions. Shooting in the city, out in the desert or native landscape to your area, late at night or early in the evening, all of these factors effect your exposure. Bracket, bracket, bracket, and bring a lot of film. Also, take notes as you go, so you can record what works best for you.

Low ASA/ISO transparency film will set you free. Unlike negative film, where there is a greater exposure latitude, transparencies produce a more exact color, with a finer grain. The goal is to achieve an original slide that is exactly how you want the final print to look. I get the best results using Fuji Velvia ISO 50, or the new 100, and Fuji Provia ISO 100. Once again, this is something that you will want to experiment with. You don’t have to have lightning to run tests—just do some long time exposures at night. Now get out there with and buddy and shoot!

U of A Report on Research

Final Thoughts:
Throughout my life, I have been blessed with many professional and personal relationships which have enriched my life in very profound and unexpected ways— more than the luckiest person has in twice the lifetimes. They all hold a special place in my heart and are not thought of lightly. It’s important to express my gratitude for these friendships.

Thanks- Jeff

Jeff Smith