Alaska025
Jul, 2015Views
169
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Awards
People's Choice in Aurora Borealis Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Night in motion Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rank week 1Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken outside Fairbanks, Alaska in my first attempt at photographing the Northern Lights.Time
It was a cloudy day during the daytime when we were out visiting the great Alaskan oil pipeline so we weren't sure whether nature would reward us with the Lights, but nonetheless, we returned at around midnight to try our luck. We got lucky in that the clouds parted enough for the lights to show, but still be around to create a brilliant effect.Lighting
Photographing the Northern Lights has an element of unpredictability to it, since you really are at the mercy of nature on what colors and effect you get. It was pure luck that in the capture, a car came by, illuminating the foreground of the scene. I did move the camera to many different positions before settling on this foreground.Equipment
This was shot with a d5100 mounted on a tripod with a 30 second exposure.Inspiration
The Northern Lights is difficult to capture. This was meant to be a trial on the cloudy day in hopes that the second night there would be clear skies. I feel very blessed to have captured this image.Editing
Aurora shots generally do require a degree of post-processing to balance colors and adjust exposure of the different parts of the scene. I was helped in this case by the car's lights.In my camera bag
On trips that require some hiking/traveling, I generally travel with a 35mm prime lens and a 18-200 all-around lens. I will at least bring a gorilla pod, filters, and trigger if I am traveling light. A full tripod and flash may be added if weight is no issue.Feedback
Capturing the Northern Lights puts you at the mercy of nature for the occurrence, weather, and temperature. I found going in September to be rather pleasant. Make sure to scout a location in advance as there are few lights and guide points to help find a spot in the dark of night.
