A curtain of Green
I had a year to 40 bucket list and seeing the Aurora Borealis was a dream come true, it didn't come easily though. I had spent a week in Fairbanks Ak just ...
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I had a year to 40 bucket list and seeing the Aurora Borealis was a dream come true, it didn't come easily though. I had spent a week in Fairbanks Ak just when they were having a record breaking snow storm. I extended the trip for another day because it was going to be the only clear night, I hired a photo tour guide for the evening and hoped for the best, I spent six hours in a pristine snow field and nothing. we packed up and left I was dropped off at my vehicle and started driving back to the cabin I had rented when my husband noticed a faint color in the sky we pulled to the side of the road and preceded to get our camera gear just as we got out the sky lit up and ribbons of color started dancing above us, it was a dream come true!
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Featured
Contest Finalist in Contemplating The Aurora Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Fairbanks Alaska, on the road leading back to our rental cabin. I had paid for an aurora tour for the evening from 10pm to 3am it was to take place at a beautiful cabin in the woods, the sky had been cloudy all week and this was the first break in the sky but, the tour guide gave up about 2am and asked us to pack it up. disappointed as this was my last chance for I would be heading home in a few hours back to Utah I reluctantly packed up and was dropped off at my car. I drove about half a mile returning to my rental when I noticed the sky start to change. I pulled over grabbed my gear and set up in the middle of the road with in minutes the sky started dancing I took a few shots and then just enjoyed the show.Time
This photo was taken about 3:30 am lucky for me there wasn't any traffic on the roadLighting
I was worried the sky would be too bright to capture the Aurora because there was a beautiful full moon lighting up the sky. The combination of cloud cover over the moon just at the right time and the extra bright aurora made for a nice image.Equipment
I shot this with my Canon 5D markIII canon 24mm lens manfrotto tripod and ball head 5 second exposure ISO 1600Inspiration
I have always been fascinated with the Northern lights so for my 40th birthday my husband planned a trip for me to Alaska I had everything planned to be able to capture the "perfect" aurora shot. The ones like I had seen in natgeo and on various websites, I dreamed of experiencing this phenomenon. The weather wasn't going to let it be an easy achievement the week I was there They had record snowfall which was lovely except I need a clear sky. Fortunately I was able to extend my stay an extra day it was definitely worth it to be able to sit under a sky dancing in green and purple ribbons.Editing
I did a few adjustments in Lightroom I bumped up the exposure 1.10 and added contrast decreased the highlights and black increased the clarity and vibrance and luminance to help with noise reduction.In my camera bag
That really depends on what I'm shooting but, my favorite lens' to carry are my 70-200 2.8 24mm 2.8 50mm 1.4 Canon 5D MarkIII and my heavy manfrotto tripod this combination usually covers most photographic situations I find myself in.Feedback
Give yourself plenty of time a week at least incase the weather doesn't cooperate. do research on the area, scout a location well in advance. There are websites to help you follow the aurora forecast use them. If I have a chance to do this again I would go late september early october so I could also capture the Aurora in a water reflection and there is less chance of winter storms hiding the night sky. When planning for your night out try to go during a new moon so the Aurora won't have to compete with the moon light.
