ST. LOUIS – Lightning is mysterious, fascinating and dangerous, and with a small investment in the right equipment, you can capture the photo of a lifetime.

Local professionals like David Mayhew, who appeared at the St. Louis Art Fair in Clayton, uses expensive equipment to get the perfect shot. Others, like Will Hahn, have been shooting pictures of lightning for 20 years with an Android phone and some professional-grade equipment.

“I usually shoot with a digital camera, or in these days, what’s called a mirrorless camera. It’s got a removable lens in the professional category of cameras. A tripod is absolutely necessary for these kinds of photos,” he said.

Hahn added that the most important note to take a good lightning photo is to adjust the length of time for the exposure.

“What we call the old tried and true method—the old school method–just leaving the shutter open, waiting for a lightning strike, and closing the shutter,” Hahn added.

Hobbyists can purchase a $250 light-sensitive trigger to automatically capture a photo when it senses lightning. While Hahn didn’t splurge for the tool, he had something money can’t buy.

“Patience. It’s absolutely patience,” he said.

For those who aren’t aspiring for professional-grade photos, you may already have what you need to get the picture.

“The cell phone that I use, I can take 50 megapixel photos, no problem,” he added. “You can adjust your shutter speed and your ISO that you want, as low as you can get. Then you hit your shutter and you wait.”

Another photographer some might know already is Dan Zarlenga.

He admits that it can take some luck to capture a great shot. But he gave some helpful tips to those who are looking capture it.

“You really do need a camera that has manual settings. You want those parameters so that you can get a longer exposure–5, 10, 20 seconds–so you have more time to catch a strike of lightning,” he said. “Another tool that is very helpful is the intervalometer. It allows you to continuously shoot images.”

One of Zarlenga’s most important tips?

“Be very situation aware,” he said.