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Posted on 13/01/13 8:29:51 PM |
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Thistle F. Ince
* Posts: 23 Reply |
Photographing the Northern Lights
My daughter will be visiting Iceland in February. Any advice on photographing the Northern Lights will be most helpful. Thistle |
Posted on 13/01/13 9:27:51 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3972 Reply  |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Hi Thistle, Check out a good location during what daylight she can get. When setting out into the night make sure that eyes are well dark-adjusted and don't look at any bright lights as that will ruin your night sight for another few minutes. Be absolutely familiar with the camera. Thumbing through an instruction manual by the light of the Aurora is not a good idea. Do not use any automatic settings on the camera - everything should be on manual. Carry a small torch. A tripod should be used to hold the camera steady. If no tripod is available then put some dry rice or lentils into a cotton bag so that the camera squishes down into it and is held steady on a rock or something rigid. If she has a remote release of some kind then use that. If no remote is available then try not to jar the camera when pressing the shutter. If a time exposure of a few seconds is required then place a piece of dark card in front of the lens, release the shutter then remove the card when her finger is off the release. If she is using a digital camera then up the iso rating to around 800 to get shorter exposure times. She can go a bit higher than that but electronic noise may reduce the quality of the image. It's less of a problem with more recent cameras as their image processing is pretty good these days. If she is using film she should get some fast film of around 400 - 800 iso. Better still - go out and buy a digital camera. Film is very (VERY!) hit-and-miss for this subject. A Digital SLR is better than a compact but compact will do it. If possible take images in RAW as that will enable lots more post work in Photoshop than jpgs will allow. Shooting in RAW may well salvage an otherwise unuseable shot. Don't use any filters on the lens; no not even a skylight filter! Set the camera on manual and use a wide aperture to give a short exposure. I really cannot tell what length the exposure should be as this can vary considerably depending on circumstances. Experimentation is the order of the day here but with this subject over-exposure is better than under-exposure. If the chosen site for the photography is really dark then exposures of around a minute might be a good starting point. The moon can be a killer with too much light in the sky if it's more than half full. Follow this link to get the moon phases, moon rise and moonset for Iceland. Default page is January so make sure you select February: http://www.kwathabeng.co.za/travel/moon/moon-phase-calendar.html?country=Iceland She should use the widest angle, fastest lens she has and include the horizon as well as something in the foreground to give a sense of scale. It is fine to have a few light sources in shot but a built up area will give way too much light pollution. Beware of flare. A water feature such as a lake can give fantastic images as it reflects the aurora. Still water is best. Focusing should be done manually as auto focus will hunt all over the place. A time exposure of a few seconds or more should result in star trails as well as the Aurora. Make sure that fresh or fully charged batteries are used and try to keep them warm. The cold sucks energy from a battery very quickly as does long exposures. Wrap up warm - it can get stormy in Iceland ! If I think of anything else I'll drop in another post. Gordon _________________ If at first you don't succeed then skydiving is not for you. |
Posted on 14/01/13 07:55:17 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6997 Reply  |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Sound advice, Gordon. I'd add a thermos flask full of coffee to the essential equipment. |
Posted on 14/01/13 10:34:59 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3972 Reply |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
... and some nice choccie biccies! _________________  |
Posted on 14/01/13 5:18:02 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
I went to Iceland last year, hopefully to see the Northern Lights, but unfortunately they didn't appear. It was however a very enjoyable stay, the Icelanders are very friendly, speak excellent English and the scenery is superb. Food and drink prices were about the same as London. I hope your daughter manages to get some good shots, I would love to see them if she does. |
Posted on 14/01/13 5:28:41 PM |
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Thistle F. Ince
* Posts: 23 Reply |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Thanks Gordon and Steve. My daughter has borrowed ALL my photographic equipment. She only has a compact - no use whatsoever for the Northern Lights! I await her return for two reasons: 1. To see the photographs and 2. To have my camera, etc. safely back in my possession! Thistle |
Posted on 14/01/13 5:33:39 PM |
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Thistle F. Ince
* Posts: 23 Reply |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Thanks, Deborah. I'll keeep my fingers crossed. Thistle |
Posted on 14/01/13 7:25:39 PM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Thistle One more thing - shoot RAW files. Nick |
Posted on 15/01/13 4:26:52 PM |
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Thistle F. Ince
* Posts: 23 Reply |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Hi Nick, Unfortunately, my daughter has only managed a basic compact camera before. She might have trouble opening Raw on her computer. I will suggest that she uses Raw and brings it to me on her return from Iceland, so that I can convert everything to Tiff! It would certainly be worth her effort. Thistle |
Posted on 15/01/13 5:44:39 PM |
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vibeke
Kreative Kiwi Posts: 2166 Reply  |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Buy extra cards and leave the processing till she gets back, and if you set the camera to RAW+jpg, She can still see the photos and you can help her with the Raw. here are some sites that may be of interest. http://www.lapland-travel-info.com/northern-light-photography.html http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8217618174/auroral-photography-a-guide-to-capturing-the-northern-lights http://www.alaskaphotographyblog.com/how-to-photograph-the-northern-lights-with-a-digital-camera/ Hope she has lots of fun, and we look forward to seeing some photos. _________________ Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize. |
Posted on 16/01/13 12:14:42 PM |
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Thistle F. Ince
* Posts: 23 Reply |
Re: Photographing the Northern Lights
Thanks, Vibeke, I have passed the websites on to my daughter. The trip is a 50th. birthday present from her husband. He and their 11 year old son (who is my pride and joy) are also going. So I am sure they will have a wonderful time. The Raw + Jpeg is an excellent idea. Hope the N Lights oblige while she is in Iceland. Thistle |