Aurora Luck of the draw.

[tbob]

Saturday night was supposed to be heavy overcast, with snow, after 11 pm. The auroral forecast was predicting quite bright northern lights after 2 am, marginal prior to. Plus a half moon so any high clouds would result in too much glow and wash out the aurora.

I decided to forgo organizing to go out, did not seem worth it. Usually I will set the camera up well before as I have a horrid habit of forgetting one or more essential settings (ISO set to 1600, manual focus set to infinity, auto focus off, focus ring duct taped so I cannot turn it inadvertently, aperture set to lowest setting, shutter set to mirror up, Bulb setting on exposure time).

At midnight I got up (one of those age related bodily needs) and checked outside. The sky was clear and off to the north was one bright auroral line. I had to decide if it was worth the attempt. Decided not and went back to bed. However the psychic pressure became too much. If I don't at least try I will never know.

Up at 12:30 and the same sky conditions. I got the camera, set it up (praying I would get all the settings right and not miss one) , get all my warm clothes on and drive twenty minutes to get clear of the city lights. Well actually 30 minutes if you count having to come back for the remote shutter release. On the way the auroral display was very sporadic and pale.

Got out to my preferred site, set up and did one composing shot. Still a bit marginal display. No sooner had I done the composing shot then, like it was planned, the aurora went nuts.

Stuff like this only reinforces that little voice in my head that drives me out at horrid hours to try. The aurora is so unpredictable. But all I can do is try. One success like this drives me for at least a year.



Overhead






The last shot before it faded

[AlwaysOnAuto]

THANK you for getting up and thank you for sharing these!
All I can say is WOW!

I'm afraid I'd be too dumbfounded to take any pictures with that happening over my head. Just amazing.

[Mike Buckley]

Unbelievable color!

[Donald]

Quite spectacular display. But more than that, you have now developed the knowledge and skill needed to know how to make the best possible captures and, in turn, produce the best possible images. These are superb.

[madcrow]

Fabulous, awesome, beautiful and exceptional. Each one better than the other, colour and composition excellent. I am so glad you got out of bed.

[Shadowman]

Nice captures, some favorites in there.

[Bobobird]

Just simply awesome...

[tbob]

I'm afraid I'd be too dumbfounded to take any pictures with that happening over my head. Just amazing.

The great advantage of using a remote with a timer is I can concentrate on watching the aurora and at the same time get the images without having to count seconds in my head. I still have to factor in the variable brightness of the display. Came within a hair of overexposing in image four.

[tbob]

Unbelievable color!

The half moon helped with the foreground lighting. The aurora was bright enough to be quite visible even with the moon. Optimal conditions in my estimation. Even two degrees of frost is better than the usual.

[tbob]

Quite spectacular display. But more than that, you have now developed the knowledge and skill needed to know how to make the best possible captures and, in turn, produce the best possible images. These are superb.

Trial and error, mainly error. A lot of cold nights with nothing to show. And a few sessions of smacking my head on the wall when I viewed the nights crop the next day

[Dave Humphries]

Amazing Trevor, simply amazing.

Well done, Dave

[tbob]

Just simply awesome...

I think of your image of the eagle, although not on the same level as that one is flat out brilliant, getting a few like this just reasserts my desire to get out there and see what is there
It took a thousand years...

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Trevor - When you say aperture set to lowest setting, does that mean f2 or f16? or?

[joebranko]

Beautiful! I have only seen this in real life once! Thanks for sharing!

[tbob]

Trevor - When you say aperture set to lowest setting, does that mean f2 or f16? or?

In this case it is wide open as the lens will allow and as wide angle as possible, with this lens f4 at 16 mm. I need as much light as possible, so most of these are shot at 30 seconds exposure. Those are my default settings, occasionally I will have to cut the exposure time if there are very bright areas. I came close to blowing out the highlights in the fourth image, some of the areas are getting very close to pale green.

[tbob]

Beautiful! I have only seen this in real life once! Thanks for sharing!

When I retire, my wife wants to move south (well southern BC so not really all that far south) and I will miss the aurora. Over the last 40 years I have gotten very used to seeing them. On late night calls I would stop the truck and get out to watch for a bit. Never gets old.

[Manfred M]

Great images Trevor. Having luck on your side is just part of being a good photographer...

Getting images like these should keep you motivated and going through the rest of the winter!

[FootLoose]

Amazing scenes, Trevor. I have never seen anything like it. Thanks for sharing.

[tbob]

Getting images like these should keep you motivated and going through the rest of the winter!

I know, I am already getting mentally prepared for facing the minus 20 to 30 stuff when my desires overcome my survival instincts. My toes and fingers are already getting set to complain (You know the scenario. Fingers "Get back in the truck, I mean it this time" Brain "Maybe if we walk over there we can get a better shot" Toes " You are NOT doing this")

[Wavelength]

What an exuberant beauty!!!