Chasing Red Sprites in South Africa

Some trips are planned months in advance. Others come together quickly when the conditions line up and you know you have to go. This one fell firmly into the second category.

Red sprites are one of the rarest atmospheric phenomena you can photograph. Massive electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorms, often between 50 and 90 kilometres above the Earth. They are triggered by powerful lightning strikes but happen far above the storm itself, glowing red for just a few milliseconds before disappearing again. Most people will never see one, even if they live in areas with frequent thunderstorms.

That uncertainty is what drew me north.

Heading into the Northern Cape

The Northern Cape is one of the best places in South Africa for this kind of work. Vast open landscapes, minimal light pollution, and big summer thunderstorms that roll across the horizon long after sunset. It is a place that rewards patience, preparation, and a willingness to sit in the dark for hours with your eyes glued to the sky.

I met up with Albert Horn(based in the Northern Cape), whose knowledge of storms and atmospheric conditions is second to none, and travelled with Karl Storbeck, who shares the same obsession for chasing rare night sky phenomena. Having the right people around you on a trip like this makes all the difference. There is a lot of waiting, a lot of analysing radar and storm movement, and a lot of second guessing your decisions at two in the morning.

But that is part of the process.

Why Red Sprites Are So Hard to Photograph in South Africa

Red sprites are photographed far more frequently in places like the United States and parts of Australia. Those regions experience large, organised storm systems that can persist for hours and produce consistent, powerful lightning. That gives photographers longer windows to work and more predictable conditions.

In South Africa, storms tend to be more isolated and shorter-lived. They can build and collapse quickly, often before you have time to properly position yourself. Add to that the vast distances between storms, limited road networks in remote areas, and the need for extremely dark skies, and the challenge increases significantly.

You also have fewer documented occurrences locally, which means less historical data to work from when planning a chase. A lot of it comes down to reading conditions in real time and making educated guesses, knowing full well that you might come home empty-handed.

The Reality of Photographing Red Sprites

Photographing red sprites is very different to typical night sky or astrophotography. You are not composing for the Milky Way or tracking stars. Instead, you are aiming long lenses at distant storms, pre-focusing at infinity, running high frame-rate video or continuous exposures, and reacting instantly when something happens.

Most of the time, nothing does.

You learn quickly that this kind of photography is about preparation rather than perfection. Camera settings need to be dialled in before the storm peaks. Composition is often secondary to coverage. You point where the storms are most active and hope that, for a fraction of a second, the atmosphere above them comes alive.

When it finally happens, it is over almost as quickly as it begins. A faint red flash above the storm. Easy to miss. Easy to doubt. And then you check the footage or images and realise you caught something incredibly rare.

Those moments make every hour of waiting worth it.

More Than Just the Images

Trips like this are never just about coming home with photos. They are about the experience of being out there, working with people who are just as invested in the process, and pushing your understanding of both photography and the natural world.

Standing in the Northern Cape, watching distant storms light up the horizon while knowing that something extraordinary could happen at any moment, puts things into perspective. It reminds you why you started photographing nature in the first place.

Watch the Full Story on YouTube

I documented the entire trip, from planning and travel through to the long nights of waiting and the moments when it all came together. The full behind-the-scenes experience, including how we approached photographing red sprites and what it really takes to capture them, is available in my latest YouTube video HERE.

If you are interested in rare atmospheric phenomena, night photography, or simply want to see what goes into chasing something this elusive, I highly recommend giving it a watch.

Sometimes photography is about control and precision. Other times, it is about showing up, being patient, and hoping the sky decides to put on a show.