Thanks James, sprites happen overtop of positive CGs in the trailing stratiform region of a squall line. You just need clear skies adjacent to an MCS with electrified stratiform 100-200 miles away to view them. They are surprisingly big and high up even at those distances, you don’t need a long lens. My 50mm lens was plenty.
Being west of dryline storms in the Plains (looking east) is the most surefire way to have the clear skies next to storms needed see them. Outside of that, I have found it nearly impossible to get clear skies near an MCS in the Midwest. We almost always get anvil blowoff cirrostratus leading, or stratus trailing.
Photography-wise, they are a lot like auroras and need to be shot with faster lenses and at a high ISO. They are better viewed in rural areas. Like aurora, you can see them faintly with your eyes, but they show up on camera much better. Unlike aurora, shorter exposure times are better so that you have a darker sky to increase their contrast.
