As a lightning researcher I seek out lightning and record it with various sensors, usually from inside my research van. The van, like any hard-topped metal vehicle, affords protection via the faraday cage principle in which lightning current will travel on the outside surface of a metal structure shielding a person on the inside. I do however have the van side panels open so cameras can film lightning. It, therefore, is not a perferct faraday cage, but it is the best option behind an enclosed structure or building. I occasionally will place autonomous cameras outside the van, and I try to minimize the time spent outside the vehicle. I understand and accept the risk that I am exposing myself to while in the field.
When considering the risk, there a couple aspects of lightning safety that I try to keep in mind. First of all, most lightning injuries (~50%) occur when lightning strikes nearby and not when someone is struck directly (~5%). There is a voltage difference between any two points that have a different radial distance from the strike point and current flows radially outword from the strike point as a result. If you are standing outside and have your feet apart, there will be a voltage difference between your feet and legs and current will flow through your legs due to this difference. If you are standing outside and touching a tripod or a camera on a tripod, there will be a voltage difference between the tripod legs and your legs which would result in current flow through the tripod, through your arm and through your legs. Therefore, when I am assuming the risk of being outside my vehicle the field, I keep my legs together when standing, and minimize the amount of time I am touching a tripod. However, the goal is to spend the absolute minimum amount of time out of my vehicle.
Before I actively studied lightning safety, I thought that crouching down would decrease my risk of a direct lightning strike. This is just not true as the lightning has traveled many kilometers through the air, and decreasing my height by a few feet will make no difference. In fact, in 2008, the National Weather Service stopped recommending the lightning crouch since it was deamed ineffective and provided a false sense of safety. No place outdoors is safe, and instead of crouching, time should be spent getting to a safe place such as a metal vehicle or enclosed building.
Another consideration I keep in mind while outside my vehicle is to actively avoid conductive objects such as fences, railings or piping. Lightning current can efficiently travel long distances through these conductive elements. Touching a conductive object that is struck by lightning could result in current traveling from that object and through a person to ground. Similarly, if you are standing near a conductive object, lightning current can be conducted through an object and enter ground closer to you exposing you to the same ground current/voltage hazard discussed previously.