Silent auroras
Auroras above a typical Lapland winter scenery. Trees and bushes are covered in snow and create magical forms.
© Thomas Kast, All Rights Reserve...
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Auroras above a typical Lapland winter scenery. Trees and bushes are covered in snow and create magical forms.
© Thomas Kast, All Rights Reserved
Read less
© Thomas Kast, All Rights Reserved
Read less
Jul, 2013Views
3558
Likes
Awards
Runner Up in Sky At Night Photo Contest
Prizes by Outdoor Photo Gear
Contest Finalist in Ice Worlds Photo Contest
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Choice
Jaw Dropping
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
All Star
Exceptional Contrast
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 3Top 10 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
AlejandraDodge
March 03, 2014
Nice composition. Great exposure. Beautiful work. Congratulations! well deserved!
danny_char_3722
March 03, 2014
Awesome and I am sure it was not easy to take in the cold.... Well done and congratulations!!!!!!
PRO+
Platinum
WileKyK
March 03, 2014
This is a well-composed shot with a great use of light! Congratulations on your win!
PRO+
PRO+
Platinum
PRO+
Platinum
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
HaliSowle
July 31, 2014
Superb image, I love the stars above and the bright spots in the snow too. Congratulations!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
For this photo I went to Lapland somewhere near Hetta in Finland.Time
This was taken sometime after midnight if I recall. There was no sound around, total silence, wonderful mood.Lighting
Bathing in moonlight it is just a magical place as such. Having the wonderful aurora borealis there is the icing on the cake. Moonlight turns the sky bluish, especially during long exposures. To combination of blue, white and green is my favourite as the same can be found in daytime (blue sky, white clouds and green nature).Equipment
Nikon D700, lens: 14-24mm and a tripod.Inspiration
I love how the winter turns these trees into 'creatures' and find it very mysterious being out there all alone at night. When you look around longer, you'll recognize some shapes, animals and more.Editing
The moonlight was so strong, I had to darken the foreground as well as the blue sky. Some color correction, contrast and sharpening was done too.In my camera bag
Usually I carry my D800 & tripod and have a setup for daytime and nighttime shoots. During day time I bring my 16-35mm wide lens and 70-300mm tele. In the bag are some filters (ND grad, polarizer, etc) to adjust for different light situations. A remote-control, spare batteries and other small things are always with me. For night time I have usually only one lens with me, its the 14-24mm lens. On few occasion I use a 50mm but that's rare.Feedback
In the darkness of night you will have to work in manual mode because the autofocus will go hunting back and forth. To focus there are a few ways, one of them is to use live-view and find the brightest star. Then turn the manual focus ring until it is sharp. Another way is to use your flashlight pointing at a tree or anything you wanna have in your frame. With the light bright enough you can switch on your autofocus, focus and then immediately switch back to manual focus. Your all set. One more thing, you need to check your histogram. Being out in the dark, your eyes will find those previews often lovely but back in your room the frames might be to dark. On my webpage you can find an aurora borealis guide with a section dedicated to photographing. Lots more advice to be found there.
