my one-week stay in Lofoten was - as always when I am there - shaped by wind. Miraculously, the wind paused that night for the duration of the Northern Lights s...
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my one-week stay in Lofoten was - as always when I am there - shaped by wind. Miraculously, the wind paused that night for the duration of the Northern Lights spectacle and the water came to rest so that the landscape and the Northern Lights could be reflected in the fjord. Just a few minutes later, wind sets in and waves start again...
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People's Choice in Aurora Chasing Photo Contest
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Winner in Aurora Borealis Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is a very interesting place for photography: in the Lofoten village of Sakrisøy (Norway) there is a covered drying rack for cod north of the road. This is right on the fjord, with a perfect view of the mountains Ostinden and Festhaeltinden. Stand there among the stinking, drying fish and admire the beauty of the northern lights...Time
The best time for the Northern Lights is usually the first half of the night, between eight in the evening and midnight.Lighting
It is very important for successful Northern Lights pictures that it is already dark, which is always the case in winter so high in the north at this time. During dawn or dusk, the northern lights have to be very strong to be able to see them. Whenever possible, I make sure that a bright moon illuminates the landscapeEquipment
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 16mm, ISO 1600, f/4, 15 secInspiration
Northern lights photography is an addiction - once you've started, you'll want to shoot even more beautiful, even brighter lights. I usually go to Iceland or Norway at least once every winterEditing
It was necessary to brighten the picture even further in post-processing, despite overexposure when taking the picture. In addition, a little adjustment of the contrast - nothing more was to doIn my camera bag
First and foremost, I photograph landscapes. I have two lenses in my backpack for this genre: the Canon EF 16-35mm f / 4L IS USM and the Canon EF 24-105mm f / 4L IS USM. Various ND and GND filters as well as a tripod are of course always included. If the way to the photo spot is not too long or too difficult, I also like to take the Tamron 70-300mm 1: 4-5.6 SP Di VC USM with me for detailed shots. Occasionally I do astrophotography with the Tamron SP 15-30mm f / 2.8 Di VC USD, but this thing is so heavy that it is only taken for that special occasion. My second big passion is wildlife photography. Here I have the Tamron SP 150-600mm F / 5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (also very heavy and therefore not always in the rucksack) for the larger and more abrasive specimens and the Tamron SP 90mm 1: 2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD for the tiny ones I use all those lenses with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV My newest toy is a drone: the dji Mavic 2 pro for unusual perspectives, abstractions and a view over the fogFeedback
All countries in and around the Nordic Arctic Circle offer great opportunities for Northern Lights photography. There are also beautiful landscapes that provide a good foreground. Ideally, when planning, you should make sure that you also take photos approximately to the north. For me, the time around the full moon is the best time as the moon illuminates the landscape, but other photographers swear by the new moon. The northern lights are said to be most active around equinox time, but of course there can be strong northern lights at any time (in the winter months - in summer it is too bright in the north to see the northern lights). NOAA has a pretty good 27-day forecast