Interior Aurora
The aurora ring moved south enough, I got to capture this gorgeous display from my balcony. I just love all the shapes the lights make, and the curtains that fa...
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The aurora ring moved south enough, I got to capture this gorgeous display from my balcony. I just love all the shapes the lights make, and the curtains that fall and sway against the silhouettes of the trees.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Awards
Winner in Aurora Borealis Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
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Top 30 rank
Top 20 rank
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Top 30 rank week 1Categories
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in interior Alaska from the balcony off of my house last Fall, in October.Time
The aurora lights you typically have to wait until the middle of the night in order to see, but I got a bit lucky in this case. The show started super early, around 10pm.Lighting
I was facing southward, so had to wait for the auroral band to come down south of my location in order to see it. They can start moving pretty fast, and so this didn't need a very long exposure (only 5s) in order to capture all of the light and shape in the sky.Equipment
This was captured on a Nikon D800 with a 24-70 f/2.8 lens, sitting on a tripod with a cabled clicker release.Inspiration
I just really loved the diversity of patterning and color that the aurora gave that night. Oftentimes you only get to really see a simple band in the sky, and because it was so active all of the shapes and curtains were visible.Editing
Processing was done in LR6. I increased exposure and contrast a bit as the image was originally underexposed in order to keep the shutter speed fast enough to capture the detail of the moving aurora. I also applied noise reduction, and went with a bit cooler than true color balance in order to help bring out the contrast in colors more.In my camera bag
In my bag I typically have a variety of zooms - 16-35, 24-70, and 70-200 along with a 105 macro. I like to use a cabled clicker and sturdy Gitzo carbon fiber tripod and a Manfrotto geared head for landscape shots because I can make a lot of small adjustments in positioning until I find that "just right" spot. I also have some good winter gear including fingerless gloves with mitten caps to be able to manipulate the camera with dexterity but then keep them warm when I need.Feedback
I think the main thing is to be flexible. I follow Solar Ham and the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center for updates on solar activity to know when would be a good night to go out, and even then the lights can be unpredictable. There's a lot of waiting outside and seeing if anything shows up. Also, it's important to find something to go into the frame besides the night sky - object silhouettes, foreground features, etc., which can add perspective and grounding to the aurora lights.
