Most of us know it happens but I didn't think it produced visible light.
Jane and I are spotters for the Weather Service and this afternoon I was trying to get pictures in a nice little thunderstorm.
Later, I took some of the video frame by frame.
(http://www.photos.oldva.org/albums/userpics/uo1.jpg)
(http://www.photos.oldva.org/albums/userpics/up2.jpg)
(http://www.photos.oldva.org/albums/userpics/second1.jpg)
(http://www.photos.oldva.org/albums/userpics/up3.jpg)
Interesting shots. Actually I recall reading somewhere that some close high speed photography has shown a faint downward moving trail at something like 250,000 ft per sec, immediately followed by the brighter upwards strike at some slower speed, maybe 75,000+ fps. ??? Or I dreamed it. Maybe we need a kite and a stormy night along with your Canon?
I recall a bit of that from my pilot training weather studies. Fireballs of it sometimes go right down through the middle of a plane. Interesting stuff.
I once could see it flying off off the tips of my (planes) wings in an electrical storm. Actually that was known as P-static if I recall correctly.
Thought those were foo fighters.... (not the band)
Oh wait, no, that's something else
I've not seen that before, but have seen ball lightning, which was pretty bizarre.
When I was living in Ohio, my brother & I were playing out in the yard & lightening flashed right beside us in a circle - that was kinda startling. My parents must have told me that meant there was going to be a tornado.