A friend messaged me late last night to ask if I was seeing the Northern Lights, but I was here on the couch, unaware. Being on the couch a lot seems to mean being unaware of a lot of what is going on in life, but that is another topic (I talk about often enough) we won't get into now. However, once I knew there were lights in the sky, I put on some pants, grabbed my camera and then hobbled outside to see what was on offer.
They were above the lakeside, which meant a bit of a walk that took me a while, so I didn't catch them at their height. Still, I managed to get some photos for the first time in a few years, which made me happy. It is always great to see the aurora, but I want to one day get an "epic" shot of them. That will require me going further up north though, to not only get more sightings, but be further underneath them with less light pollution.
One day.
For now, I just have to be content with what I can capture when it is both in the sky and clear enough to see them. The best time in the area is in the Autumn because it isn't yet too cold, but it tends to also be very rainy and cloudy. Last night though, it was clear, with a full set of stars out on display.
And then, as the lake was still too, it was possible to capture some of the reflection in the water at the beach where we will often swim in the summer. It is always better in my opinion to have something personal in the photo, or something that gives contrast for the lights, as it makes it a more interesting image than just colours in the sky.
I tried to get a "meta" photo of the camera taking photos, but using my phone for it, it turned out pretty bloody grainy. I think that while everyone seems to take photos of everything with their phone these days so they can remember it, it is often just better to put the phone away, and enjoy the experience itself. Especially with night photography. Though, the processing in the phone made the aurora more visible - but much grainier.
It is always a trade-off.
And as I came home, I noticed that I could get a sliver of aurora into an image with our house and though, there probably isn't relatively that many people who have a photo of their house with the northern lights in the sky. So, that is kind of cool to have - though not epic.
Before the next time I try to get some images, I have to read up on what are the best settings for the camera to capture it (If anyone here has ideas, please share), as I struggled fumbling around in the dark looking for what would work. I went for a long exposure instead of a higher iso, to get more light in with less grain. But doing this, means that the lights themselves cloud and lose the lines, because they are always dancing slightly in the sky. Next time, I hope to have a better balance and I really should learn, just in case the chance for an epic shot arises unexpectedly.
Have you ever seen the aurora first-hand?
Taraz
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