Views
679
Likes
Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Honorable Mention in Green Machine Photo Contest
Top Ranks
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a frozen lake near Yellowknife, Canada, outside the Blachford Lodge, on a cold January night.Time
It was around 10 pm. We were at the lodge to see the northern lights and didn't see them the first two nights, so we were very excited when they came out this night. Quickly bundled up, grabbed the gear and some hot cocoa, set everything up, and started shooting. Thankfully the camera/lens did not freeze, though our thermos bottle and one tripod froze shut.Lighting
At this point the aurora was so strong, I was shooting for only 15 seconds or so. I probably could have gone even less. Earlier, when it was weaker, I was up to 30 seconds/shot.Equipment
My camera was mounted on a tripod, and the camera was insulated with some warmers.Inspiration
I took several photos facing the other direction, away from the lodge, with nothing but sky, but decided some shots showing the lodge would be nice too, for some more interest.Editing
I didn't do much, mostly tweaking the exposure so that the lights from the buildings wasn't too bright. I also lower the amount of blue because it looked like there were blue stars too.In my camera bag
I normally just have the camera, a spare battery, maybe a second lens, and some snacks, but this night I brought all the batteries I had. Surprisingly the cold did not run the batteries down as much as I expected. I only have a tripod if I expect to do long exposures, such as this.Feedback
Take as many shots as possible when the lights come out, you don't know how long the show will last for, and it's not always apparent whether a shot got blurred. And wear lots of layers and bring more just in case, and if you will be standing on snow all night, definitely have foot warmers. Keep your spare batteries in an insulated compartment. Always keep looking around during the night; the lights can be boring in one corner of the sky one moment, and very interesting the next.