Small Aurora Borealis Collection

SpinneySpinney Registered Users Posts: 101 Major grins
edited October 18, 2011 in Other Cool Shots
With the solar flares and storms the sun has been having we had some great Northern lights this year in this area:)
Randy Spinney Photography

Comments

  • SpinneySpinney Registered Users Posts: 101 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2011
    it was a great night on the hunt:)
    Randy Spinney Photography
  • SpinneySpinney Registered Users Posts: 101 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2011
    this was one of my favorites from that night, wish I wasn't working at the same time so I could have spent more time exploiting each scene:(
    Randy Spinney Photography
  • SpinneySpinney Registered Users Posts: 101 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2011
    I really could have spent every minute that night shooting this amazing light!
    Randy Spinney Photography
  • SpinneySpinney Registered Users Posts: 101 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2011
    and one more for now:) they went out with a bang and the sky exploded with this gorgeous green shimmering delight!
    Randy Spinney Photography
  • aj986saj986s Registered Users Posts: 1,100 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2011
    Beautiful shots! Seeing the Northern Lights is on my bucket list.

    How difficult/easy is it to get decent exposures? Can you discuss technique/settings?
    Tony P.
    Canon 50D, 30D and Digital Rebel (plus some old friends - FTB and AE1)
    Long-time amateur.....wishing for more time to play
    Autocross and Track junkie
    tonyp.smugmug.com
  • SpinneySpinney Registered Users Posts: 101 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2011
    aj986s wrote: »
    Beautiful shots! Seeing the Northern Lights is on my bucket list.

    How difficult/easy is it to get decent exposures? Can you discuss technique/settings?

    I do not find it difficult at all, for me the hardest part is composing the image in the viewfinder and focusing(I also use lenses with distances scales) that is why I usually shoot under brighter moon light, although this is not the best practice for capturing the aurora as the colors pop more without the brightness of the moon dimming them down.


    So with that understanding, the following is the technique I use while in brighter moon light and using the distance scale on lens.

    1: Secure camera to tripod.

    2: make sure if lens has IS shut it off.

    3: make sure AF is turned off.

    4: my base settings for shooting under moonlight are 30 second shutter, ISO 1000 and F5.6. and usually shoot from 17mm to 24mm on a crop body.

    5: I compose the image via viewfinder using the moonlight.

    6: I set focus on lens using distance scale to the distance of subject and or if shooting distant landscape I set lens focus to just before the start of the infinity mark.

    7: if not using a shutter release cable or remote I use two second timer.


    side note,

    I shoot in raw so I do not use in camera noise reduction I post process in LR3.
    Randy Spinney Photography
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