There's something mystical and magical about photographing the Aurora borealis. ViewBug community member Tor-Ivar, a land and nightscape photographer from Nordreisa in Northern Norway, shares with us how he does it and what inspires him.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
My name is Tor-Ivar Næss, I am 32 years old and I live in Nordreisa, Norway. My photography passion comes down to landscape photography. To describe my style it would currently be rich in color and dramatic. When I have the time for it, I enjoy hiking nad this allows me to find scenery that contrast places found close to the road. All though I admit I have taken a few photographs at places close to the highway.
2. In one sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
Photography helped me get away from online gaming. A decision I am very glad I made a few years ago.
3. When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
As a process to get away from hours upon hours of online gaming, I purchased a camera that was so expensive that I couldn’t afford not to use it. I was actively playing World of Warcraft. The clan I was playing with was ranked as top 100 in the world. This required an online presence similar to a fulltime job. As mentioned I purchased a camera to get out more and living in Northern Norway has a variety in landscape that I wanted to explore. This also meant I had to get in shape to do some hiking, which healthwise is a good thing.
4. What has been your favorite shoot and why?
One of my best experiences chasing the dramatic light… It’s hard to single out one, but I remember a friend of mine and I chasing an opening in the thick layer of clouds. After an hour or so we found a spot at Kvænangsfjellet in Kvænangen, Norway. When pulled over and stopped to see if there was any chance to capture the aurora borealis, the sky burst into «flames» almost instantly. It was the clouds vs us, because the opening we found was about to close and end the expedition of ours. We managed to get a handful of captures each. At the moment I was a novice in the game, so I have had a laugh or two at the different angles I had shot at. The lights were so intense that I couldn’t help myself, I was screamed like an enthusiastic girl at a boyband concert.
5. Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
I don’t remember any session being more difficult than the other. Starting out as a landscape photographer has been a process, from knowing nothing about photography, histograms and post-processing to knowing that I still have a lot to learn. I try my best to develop my skills as I go. Vision and composition is the one I am currently working with. Before that I worked very hard on the post-processing. It’s a constant process finding my a style I am comfortable With.
6. What do you carry in your camera bag?
I usually bring a backpack containing my Nikon D810 and D800E. The lenses vary a little, but one of the cameras usually have the Zeiss Distagon 15mm mounted. The other camera will either be a Samyang 12mm f2.8 fisheye or Zeiss 21mm f2.8. Both cameras have a L-bracket and batterygrip. I bring a second camera in case I see an opptortunity to shoot a timelapse scene, and from experience it is a cold waiting game shooting a series of 360 images at night, so I use my D810 to shoot stills while I wait for the timelapse sequence to be done. Oh.. and I use a remote trigger for my stills.
7. Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
My favorite location must be somewhere close to water, but really as long as the location has a touch of beauty I am a happy shooter. When it comes to the time of day I prefer, I’ll go with night. That being said, I like shooting during dramatic light at day as well!
8. Can you share three tips with your fellow photographers?
Capture the things that you like. For me photographing is about enjoying what I do. Figure out what you like about images in the same category you shoot and try to implement the same elements in yours. There is always something new to learn. Sign up for a workshop or find someone to photograph together with.
9. Please share one of your favorite photos with us with a short tutorial:
a. Where did you take this shot?
This was captured at close to a farmers field called Krakenes in Nordreisa, Norway.
b. What time of the day and lighting details?
It was shot close to midnight a cold night in January 2015.
c. Equipment used?
Nikon D800E and Zeiss 15mm. Sirui carbonfiber tripod and a remote trigger.
d. Inspiration behind this photo?
I wanted a simple composition with a leading way to the aurora borealis.
e. Can you share any post-processing information?
For this photo I have emphasized the highlights and darkened the darks parts. The whitebalance is set a tad colder out of personal preference. My usual process goes through Adobe Lightroom and then finish up the details in Photoshop.
10. Please share some thoughts on your ViewBug experience as a photographer!
After I found ViewBug I have tried to enter the different kinds of competition which fit the way I photograph. It’s fun adding the element of competition to repetitive everyday life.
Make sure to follow Tor-Ivar to see more of his awesome shots and get inspired!
