Aurora Luck of the draw.

[NorthernFocus]

My goodness, Trevor. That was a display to be sure. Good reinforcement of the first basic requirement of nature photography, you have to show up

Nicely done.

[IzzieK]

Oh Trevor! What can I say that hasn't been said? These are all good shots! This is one on my bucket list. You can bet on that...one question though, does this event always occur in winter only? Is it always predicted by weather reports beforehand?

[Dave Humphries]

...one question though, does this event always occur in winter only? Is it always predicted by weather reports beforehand?

That was two questions!

[John 2]

For someone like me who is never likely to see this in the flesh so to speak, these are spectacular. Thanks for posting them and if I do ever see one (and I have a camera with me) I now know what to try. So thanks for the info as well.

[Donald]

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

It was golfer Ben Hogan who said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get."

[JBW]

with your luck you should be buying lotto tickets

[mugge]

Stunning. No more to say.
Cheers Ole

[tbob]

Oh Trevor! What can I say that hasn't been said? These are all good shots! This is one on my bucket list. You can bet on that...one question though, does this event always occur in winter only? Is it always predicted by weather reports beforehand?

There are a number of online sites that predict the auroral intensity up to three days before. They use data from NASA observing the solar wind and solar activity so they are all about equal. The problem lies in the unpredictability of the display at any given time. There is no absolute guarantee that the aurora will be good at any given moment. Even a high rating only makes it more probable. I usually am out an hour or more, in that time there may be 10 minutes of good display.

The aurora is always there. However because it only is visible at high latitudes (50 degrees north is a rough limit), and summer nights are very short the higher north you go, they are usually a cold weather phenomena. That plus the unfortunate fact that the display peaks when the sun is shining 180 degrees from where you are, so about 2 am.

Add in cloud cover and one never knows. Tonight the prediction is for a very strong display where I live. However we will have overcast skies and snow. No point in going out.

[tbob]

with your luck you should be buying lotto tickets

My luck does not extend into this area. The few times I have tried gambling, I would have gotten a better outcome if I had burnt the money and roasted a marshmellow over the flames.

[Jimr1961]

Gorgeous Trevor. My fingers, brain and toes have the same argument when I want to attempt milky way shots high in the mountains. My friend started teasing me one morning because he caught me at 2am shooting MW shots. I woke up and looked outside of my tent. A beautiful MW display, but it was freezing out side my tent. I laid back down, but my head said do it. I set-up my rig just outside the tent then put my feet outside and kept the rest of me inside the tent. I threw my down jacket on and stayed inside my sleeping bag the whole time. All he could see was half a sleeping bag sticking out of my tent, a camera and tripod and a long wire going from camera, disappearing into the tent.

[Donald]

All he could see was half a sleeping bag sticking out of my tent, a camera and tripod and a long wire going from camera, disappearing into the tent.

The picture this conjures up in my mind is wonderful ... and hilarious!!

[tbob]

Gorgeous Trevor. My fingers, brain and toes have the same argument when I want to attempt milky way shots high in the mountains. My friend started teasing me one morning because he caught me at 2am shooting MW shots. I woke up and looked outside of my tent. A beautiful MW display, but it was freezing out side my tent. I laid back down, but my head said do it. I set-up my rig just outside the tent then put my feet outside and kept the rest of me inside the tent. I threw my down jacket on and stayed inside my sleeping bag the whole time. All he could see was half a sleeping bag sticking out of my tent, a camera and tripod and a long wire going from camera, disappearing into the tent.

I was thinking, how cold could it be in southern California at night? Then I remembered photographing the sunrise over the Grand Canyon in January. No one told me it would get to minus 21C! I almost froze to death but I refused to quit as I was not going to miss the opportunity. Next time I will bring a proper coat, gloves, footwear and a toque (wool hat).

[Jimr1961]

I rarely shoot anything in So. Cal. Now, my story happened in Central Cal. at close to 12,000 ft. (o.k., I'll do the math 3658 m). Mid summer, we were looking at somewhere around 4C. It ain't Canada, but extracting yourself from your sleeping bag at near freezing is miserable, no matter who you are :-)

When I was in Death Valley over the last New Year, it was -7C at night with a bit of a wind chill factor on top. Needless to say, I have no night shots from that trip. I was cowboy camping with blankets over the top and a sleeping bag underneath. It was quite a rude awakening when the wind kicked up in the middle of the night and sent the blanket flying. Note to self - don't cowboy camp nekkid.

[Milehighguy]

I add my "wow!!" to all the others. Persistence and intuition, plus your camera knowledge paid a big dividend. Thanks for the technical set up.

[bnnrcn]

Great shots Trevor, congrats Are those real colors or did you make them stronger with PP?

[rpcrowe]

Superb!

[Cogito]

Well shot, Trevor! You say luck of the draw, but I think you made your own luck. If I may, one of the few images to compare with yours...... http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161023.html

[tbob]

Great shots Trevor, congrats Are those real colors or did you make them stronger with PP?

I am not ashamed to admit I did enhance them. It is almost impossible to process without doing some personal interpretation of the scene. In my defense; I posted them to my facebook page were they are seen by about 100 local people, all of whom have seen many auroras, and they were quite willing to accept my versions. I can assure you that an aurora can be this good as my version and sometimes even exceed what i have portrayed. And sometimes, they are pale anemic weak things.

Below is the unedited version of the first image as caught by the camera.

[DigitalScape]

All I can saw is WOW! Fantastic images, Trevor.

[ccphoto]

Too far south to ever see such a thing but do appreciate it beauty and these shots are beautiful.