Northern Alberta, Northern Lights
The late fall and early spring in northern Alberta Canada always provide impressive northern lights.
The late fall and early spring in northern Alberta Canada always provide impressive northern lights.
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Jun, 2015Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was captured near High Level, Alberta, Canada, a small town approximately 1350 kilometers north of the United States border with Canada. The reflections on the lake make this one of my favorite aurora borealis photos. I am self taught in everything photography and these photos are sometimes more challenging to get.Time
This image was taken on September 19, 2011 at about 10:18 PM. Around this time of the year, the northern lights are very active and through learned experiences I made sure to have the right equipment with me as well as a good location scouted out beforehand. I've been to this location on numerous occasions and on this particular night the stars aligned and conditions were ideal.Lighting
The aurora lights were very active and danced in the skies on this night. The calm lake added to the ambiance.Equipment
I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a Canon ef24-105 f4L IS USM lens, a remote shutter release and of course, a tripod.Inspiration
I began attempts at photographing the aurora in 2009 and had no idea what to expect. After viewing my first image on the computer I became obsessed with this subject. I spent many hours sitting and waiting for the lights to appear and when conditions were right, the results were phenomenal. I still love the aurora as a photo subject, but sadly, I no longer live in an area that provides as good results as those provided in the north.Editing
Very little post processing was required for this shot. With the exception of cropping, boosting colors, darkening the darks and reducing some noise, not much else was required.In my camera bag
I always have two cameras. A Canon EOS 7D and a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. My go to lens is a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II which almost never leaves my 5D. I also have a Canon 24-105 f4L and Canon ef85 f1.2L packed as well. Of course I keep an assortment of filters, lens cleaning cloths, a remote shutter release and extra memory cards.Feedback
Perseverance. It takes a while to get "your" perfect shot and it likely won't happen on your first, second or tenth try. When it happens, it is so worth it. Technically, I would suggest a sturdy tripod, remote release, a camera with bulb mode (you will want to experiment with exposure times), and as fast a wide angle lens as possible. Keep the ISO as low as you can to reduce the noise and be careful with having an exposure time that is too long as this will create star trails..... unless you want to include that in your image as well. One other important thing I suggest is to take time away from the camera and enjoy the light show. They can be magnificent.
