Zap

Field notes on photographing lightning, mostly badly.

What I carry

Updated 14 August 2026

Nothing here is a recommendation and none of it is affiliate-linked. It is just what is in the bag.

ItemNote
Body, APS-C, 2019Old enough that I do not mind where it stands
16 mm f/2.8Almost always at f/8; the aperture is not why
Tripod, aluminiumHeavier than the carbon one and stays put
IntervalometerThe cheapest one. It has outlived two better ones
68 mm downpipe, 200 mmSee the rain note
Head torch, redWhite light costs you twenty minutes of night vision
Notebook, pencilPens do not work upside down or wet

What I stopped carrying: a lightning trigger, three filters I never fitted in the dark, a second body, and a flask, which I have never once opened during a storm and always wanted afterwards in the car.