One of my local photographer colleges and general all around great gal, Chelsey Mach is extending her family through adoption. They are raising the funds to make the trip to Ethiopia via the generous donations of friends and family.
You can help by bidding on the awesome silent auction items or donating here.
We are auctioning off a Fairbanks Aurora Photography workshop personalized for you and 1 friend. If you have always wanted to learn to photograph The Northern Lights but never had the chance now is your chance. With this workshop you'll discover the proper gear needed, the camera techniques, the places to view Northern Lights and actually go out with a profession Aurora Photographer and come home with some great photos to show for your hard work.* You can see samples of our work here. Ronn Murray Photography
We'll begin by spending some time discussing technique and the gear that is needed to achieve stunning Aurora photos. Once we have confidently gotten you prepared to chase the aurora, we'll venture out to one of my favorite spots for a night of Northern Lights Photography adventures. Amaze your friends when you show them the incredible results from your shoot. I'm excited to share my passion and knowledge with you! Happy Aurora Season!!!
*Disclaimer: Must be in Fairbanks to redeem this workshop. We will not be able to provide transportation to and from Fairbanks so please plan accordingly. While we will make every effort possible to get you a great Aurora Viewing opportunity, we cannot guarantee Aurora activity or conducive weather conditions. There are many elements out of our control but as a general rule, spend 3 or more days in Fairbanks in the winter, and your odds of seeing Northern Lights are quite favorable. If you live in or near Fairbanks we will be happy to go when the right conditions are in place. Expires 04/05/11 Thanks and happy shooting!
Starting tonight and for the next few nights the Northern Lights may actually be visible all across the nation. Check out the USAToday Story. This is due to a massive halo-CME observed on August 1st, 2010. It appears that the tables have turned and it is I who needs you to show me photos of Aurora. Unfortunately, in Fairbanks, Alaska I won't be witnessing this event as the sun is still shining much to brightly and it doesn't get dark enough yet to witness Aurora.
For info on how to photograph the Northern Lights look here.
Thanks and I look forward to your photos.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thought for the day: I'm sure the spicy food and overindulgence just before bed played a large part in my mixture of strange and lucid dreams last night. I tossed and turned a good part of the night in sort of a half awake yet surreal conscientiousness. I woke up this morning feeling very un-rested and slightly beat up but something from all of this stood out in my mind. There was a sequence in which I was stressed about not having accomplished all the things I have wanted to accomplish at this point. I was having a conversation about this with a friend when they asked me.... "Do you ever stop and appreciate where you're at now?" I was a bit confused and must have expressed this because they said, "I mean do you take time to think about and appreciate the things you've accomplished and the progress you've made?"
While this was just a dream it stuck with me as I woke up this morning. It made me really stop and think about how I measure my success. I realized that rather than reaching forward and being
unsatisfied with what I haven't accomplished, it might be better to look back and realize what I have. Just looking back at my photos and seeing what I've witnessed in the past 2 years alone is amazing. The point to all this, if there is one, is to remember what's really important in life. In the end, the measurement of success should be scored by a surplus of experiences, and enjoyment of each day and the good people met along the way, rather than by possessions and bank account balances.
Let me start with a little background. I have been photographing birds for 3 years and have gotten somewhat serious about it recently after meeting a local birder on twitter. This has led to a near obsession to see, and then photograph as many birds as I can in our short migration season here in Alaska. Hence, I have been searching for an iPhone app that I could use to keep track of a life list. As an added bonus if I could keep track of lists in the field that would be even better. I did a google search but didn't have much luck and had given up on the idea when I came across an add on Facebook for the birdcountrapp. After a little research this sounded like what I might be looking for so I bit the bullet and spent the $9.99 it cost. The following is a review of my experience with the app.
Let's start at the beginning. I have to be honest, upon loading the app for the first time I could barely contain my excitement! I couldn't wait to try this thing out! So let's take a peak inside...
When you first load the app there is a big splash screen with 4 options. The largest button "Start a list" is self explanatory. The other 3 options, located in footer bar, are Menu, List Settings and Archive.
Menu
The Menu has some cool features. The first and my personal favorite is "Customize Lists." This allows me to choose which of three lists I'd like to select birds from. The choices are Eastern, Western (both customizable) and Custom. The Custom list allows you to build your own customized list compiled of personally selected species in your birding area. Living in Alaska this is is a great feature. It takes a bit of time to set up but really speeds things up in the field as I no longer have to search through a bunch of irrelevant species as I add sightings to my list.
The next menu item is "Set Running Count Mode" which allows you to either collect individual GPS coordinates or batch them. For me this comes into play when doing a birding sit (I use running count) when I am sitting in the same place for hours and only want to record the location of the area (which also speeds up the app) or doing a birding walk where I want to collect individual GPS data for each bird or set of birds I find.
Next we have "Manage Location Favorites" This app lets you store your favorite birding locations for easy recall later. In the manage menu you can add locations with or without GPS coordinates or delete previously entered favorites. I'd love to see a feature here that allows me to re-enter GPS coordinates but so far I haven't been able to find this option.
The next two items are "Set Email" and "Set Twitter Info." Set Email allows you to set up an email address to which you can send the list data end of your birding session. Twitter Info let's you associate a twitter account. Thus far the only use for twitter is to send out a tweet when you find a rare species. Still a good use but I hope to see more integration later.
Next we have "Customize Family Photos" which allows you to set your favorite bird's photo as the avatar for that bird's family.
Finally, there is an option called "Photo Credits" which obviously allows you to see who took the photos used within the app. Of course I love this feature but unfortunately none of my photos are in it. :-(
List Settings
"List Settings" contains a few other options for customizing lists to your personal preferences. The first is simply to select which list the app is using. Eastern, Western or your Custom List.
The next allows you to choose between table and scroll lists (the names seem backwards to me). Scroll list shows pages of icons just like the app pages on your iPhone. The Table mode organizes the lists into a scrolling index. While Scroll mode certainly allows for faster navigation, I prefer Table mode simply because I find it hard to see the icons in the bright sunlight outdoors and the text in combination with the white background, makes it easier for me to see what I'm doing.
The next option allows you to either enable or disable Geotagginig Entries. The final option allows you to set the banding code you prefer to use. It can be set to either AOU or BBL.
Archive
The last button on the splash screen of the app allows you to view your archived lists either by day or by bird. This Bird archive does kinda serve as a sort of life list but not really. Using the App Ok, on to the good stuff. Pressing Start a List brings up a google map and the GPS locates your current position. You can skip this or continue.You will then be asked to enter your location. You can either type in a new location or select the "From Favorites" button to choose one of your stored locations. Once you have begun you will be at the home page of the app. Here you will see a list of bird families. On the top is a Navigation bar and on the bottom is a quick menu bar.
The menu bar at the bottom allows you to edit your list, add a quick entry using bird banding codes, an option to view the current list as is, a search function that searches either by Band Code or search term and an End List button.
From here I find the app fairly easy to use and learn. To enter a sighting simply select the family, the species, the plumage type and number spotted and click save. For example lets say I see a pair of breeding Horned Grebes (a fairly common sighting this time of year in Fairbanks) and I want to record them. From the home menu, I'm going to select Grebes>Horned Grebe>Adult Breeding and then select 2 and save. I also have the option to add a note here or send an alert via twitter before saving.
Once I am finished with my birding session I can view the list, edit anything I might have hastily entered incorrectly and end the list. I can email it to myself using either plumage notes or just totals. I can then go to the archives and review any of my past lists.
Archived lists will tell me how many species I spotted that session, the start and end times of the session and give me a list of individual species and the numbers from the session. I can then reopen the list, email it to myself and if I allowed individual GPS coordinates to be collected I can even view a map that displays all locations of my encountered species or I can choose to view the locations of each species individually.
The Review
So now that we know how this app works and what it does let's get to the reality of how well it works.
Pros: This app really does do some cool things. I love the ability to keep track of things without having to bring along paper and a pencil. I always have my iPhone so even if I didn't intend to bird I can still keep track of my encounters if I choose.
I really like how intuitive it is once you get to the heart of the app. It didn't take me long at all to feel fairly proficient with it. I am Thrilled with the ability to customize my lists to suit my birding region. This is a key feature that I would like to see added to several other birding apps and field guides. Eliminating the need to browse through a barrage of species that don't live in my region really speeds up my listing. I also like that with the click of the "All" button at the top of the home page I can still have access to all the birds.
I also like that this app will collect dates, times and GPS coordinates of where I saw each bird so that as I continue this new addiction I can review the best times and places to find each bird. The archives are fantastic! I also enjoy the ability to go back and look at a map of the species I saw.
Finally, the developer has been in contact with me throughout my testing of this app and is impressively passionate about both birding and the success of this app.
Cons: Initially this app was very unstable! I had a good deal of trouble getting the thing to stay loaded up. It actually crashed between 5-10 times on average per hour birding session. To be fair about this, Kevin Ripka, the developer, has said that the app does work much better on the 3Gs and I am using the 3G but that really didn't satisfy me. However, during the actual writing of this review, an update was released and I haven't been able to make the thing crash since installing it. Bravo!
Honestly, not having a life list frankly sucks! This was after all my original intention for buying this app. However, Kevin has also assured me this will be remedied in a future version. The data that this app collects is fantastic and far more than I can collect with a pen a paper but... I can certainly keep track with pen and paper much faster and all that data seems to go to waste as the only thing that can be exported is a simple list (This is addressed below). I would love to see some sort of spreadsheet data export so that this info can be plugged in to personal records.
Another issue I have been facing (which may be more related to the patchy AT&T service here in Alaska than to the app itself) is that the GPS sometimes isn't even in the ballpark.
My biggest frustration with the app overall (which really isn't a fault of the app) is the need to leave it and restart iBird every time I want to ID a bird and then reload the app to record it.
Summary:
All in all I feel this is a great app. birdcountr has been well thought out. It fills some of the gaps left by other similar apps. It is a bit cumbersome and slow but to be honest if I knew banding codes and could use the quick entry it would be fairly fast and much less hassle than pen and paper. Not to mention the smaller environmental impact and lack of messy papers. The lack of a life list is a huge bummer but will be addressed. Collecting all this data makes me want to be able to use it and in this first version it is a bit unexploited.
Despite the things it leaves me wanting for, it does get the job done. Kevin has some fantastic ideas for future releases and I look forward to watching the evolution of this app.
The bottom line:
Would I recommend this app to other birders? Absolutely! Especially advanced birders who have a good understanding of banding codes. After seeing where Kevin is going with this app I feel it's worth the money. Most of my concerns are already things Kevin has thought of and plans to address in future versions
Future versions will include: Life lists, the ability to export to ebird, export geoRSS or KML, the ability to browse archive by location, charts for seeing species frequency and plumage comparisons, add multiple custom lists, add a species/hybrid, and, of course, bug fixes as they are discovered. Kevin also plans a tutorial about how to convert all this info into a blog post with an interactive googlemap embedded. Birding bloggers should already see the value in this.
This is a great app that should only get better!
Disclaimer: While I put a lot of passion and drive into learning anything I take an interest in, I am by no means a birding expert. I would at best claim to be an enthusiastic novice.
Notice: It should also be noted that while actually writing this review an updated was released bringing the current version to 1.1 which I have not yet had time to test.
Last week I tweeted out this photo from my recent trip to Unalaska, (Dutch Harbor) Alaska and asked my followers there and on Facebook to submit captions for it. This week I'd like to put up my favorite 3 for you to vote on.
The winner's caption will become the caption for this photo both on my website and on my Facebook Page. He/She will also get a $20 gift certificate to spend on the website.
Cast your vote below. I'll announce on Twitter and Facebook who the winner is next week. Voting closes Saturday night at 11:59 P.M. Alaska time. Thanks for your votes, it was fun to see the responses.
To see the rest of the photos from this trip, check out my gallery, The Beauty of Unalaska. Also, to be included in future contests or just keep up with the things I do and see in Alaska follow me on Twitter.
The Alaska Ice Park, home of The 2010 BP World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, opened it's gates this weekend despite the abnormally warm temperatures. The Ice Park kicked off opening weekend by hosting it's first of the annual U.S. National Ice Carving Championship.
Sunday afternoon was busy in the area that used to contain the kids park as NICA artists worked diligently to complete their sculptures in time for the 9:00 P.M. judging. Winners will be awarded tomorrow evening at 6:00 P.M.(Feb 22nd, 2010).
The World Ice Art Championships is an annual event that has been running since 1988. It gets underway Feb 23, when sculptors begin carving for The Single Block Classic. The Amateur Open Exhibition will follow suite the next day, Feb 24th with The Multi-Block Classic finally beginning Feb 28th. The last of the competitions, The Junior Competition, will begin March 9th and run until the 13th.
Blocks of ice are still being maneuvered and O’Grady Pond is still recovering from the harvest.
Despite most events not yet getting underway, much of The Flint Hills Resources Kids Park, a section devoted to carvings designed for children to play on or in, is complete and already being enjoyed. Even the biggest kids can find something to amuse themselves.
You can see photos from last years ice art on my website.
The Ice Park is located on Phillips Field Road off of Peger Road. The gates are open from 10:00 A.M. - 10:00 P.M. each day until Ice Alaska closes March 28th.
The Aurora Borealis is "named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621."¹ It is more commonly referred to as The Northern Lights. For more info on what causes the Aurora visit ¹( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy) ).
UPDATE: Now into my second year of serious Aurora Photography, the sun is finally bursting back to life! Not only have I been getting some fantastic photos and time lapse videos, but I've had the pleasure of coaching a few folks and seeing their amazing results as well. I'll be launching workshops next season for those that would like a little more help than this post can give. Stay tuned by our Facebook Page.
According to Todd Salat (The Aurora Hunter), "The sun has a heartbeat. Every eleven years or so it beats, and it beats hard. This is known as the solar cycle and is measured by the number of sunspots visible on the sun. The more sunspots, the more energy is being released into space (which means more aurora activity!)."² However, we have been in the trough, or bottom of the cycle, for a 3 year period. (This happens to be the entire time I have lived in Alaska.) A drought this long is very rare. Early on in 2010 it was not looking much better as predictions suggested that we were going to continue to experience "the least active period ever," according to Aurora forecaster Charles Deehr.
The good news... The sun is finally coming back to life. Recent sunspots have finally been appearing all over the northern hemisphere of the sun and even spouting off plasma plumes. I have seen the best Aurora since moving to Alaska in the past week. In fact, when the weather cooperates, you can't really go out for the night and not see Northern Lights. Finally! UPDATE: The sun is alive and well. We even recently (Feb 15th) and an X-Class (the largest class) solar flare!
Ok so now too see them. The best way to see them is to travel either to Fairbanks, AK or the Yukon Territory of Canada during the winter months (Sept-Mar). Generally, it is said that if you spend 3 or more nights in Fairbanks in the winter, you will see aurora. They can be seen in the Northern part of The Continental United States, but are far less frequent. Minnesota, being the most northern state in The Lower 48, likely offers the best chances to see the lights. In fact, when the lights are visible overhead in Anchorage, AK, they are usually also visible in Northern MN.
All of this info is great but it doesn't help if you don't know when to look to the sky. So here are some resources that I have found useful in predicting when it is worth my time to venture out. First and foremost you should visit the UAF Geophysical Institute's Aurora Forecast website here. You can see the current KP prediction for that day as well as the next few days and sometimes even weeks. You can also change the map view by clicking one of the maps in the upper left. You can even sign up to get email alerts when a good aurora storm is expected. To the right you'll notice a Short Term Forecast as well. This is generally about a 1 hour prediction but varies from 50-80 minutes into the future. If you would like to follow along with the current activity, NOAA has an updating page with current KP predictions here. I have found this to be the most reliable way to know when to head out.
A few other resources I usually check are http://www.auroraborealisyukon.com/auroracast/ which lists solar wind speed, particle density, and Interplanetary Magnetic Field behavior. The truly nice thing about this site... It also gives a comprehensive breakdown of just what the combination of all this techno mumbo jumbo means. Eventually, with some repetitive site visits, it becomes easier to understand the impact all this stuff has on the aurora too. The last source is http://www.astronomynorth.com/ Don't forget to check out the Aurora Cam located at Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska. If you're in the area this will give you a great idea of what to expect if you venture out and if you're not here, you can still enjoy the show!
I generally combine all of these sources with a few iPhone/iPod/iPad apps to get the best idea of what to expect. The first is 3D Sun which is free. It was developed by NASA. What does it do? Well, "Realtime images used to construct the 3-dimensional sphere are beamed to Earth by the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), a pair of spacecraft with a combined view of 87% of the solar surface." UPDATE: The two spacecraft orbiting The Sun have finally reached opposite sides which gives us a view of nearly 100% of The Sun. This app has also been updated to contain current KP conditions. I also use the free Aurora Forecast app which gives me the same data as the Geophysical Institute's forecast but on the iPhone.
On episode 66 of The Pro Photography Show ( Pro Photo Podcast #66RT – Future Feelings ) there was good discussion about night time photography and Dennis Zerwas of http://www.dzpics.com in Minnesota, suggested The Solar Monitor app. This app is fantastic and has become my main resource when I'm out and have a signal. It combines many of the above listed resources and gives me almost everything I need to keeping tabs on auroral activity in one app.
Finally, if you use Twitter, you can follow@Aurora_Alerts (I have this @Aurora_Alerts set up to text me when they send a tweet as well and you can do that via Twitter.)or myself @RMurrayPhoto for updates and alerts. I don't always tweet them but I usually do when I know they are good.
Let's get to the photography already! If you happen to be in Fairbanks, Alaska or you happen to be in an area where you get aurora activity the challenge then becomes capturing them to show to the world. I'm going to share a few tips and tricks I have learned along the way.
First and foremost let's talk about equipment. I generally won't suggest gear as I think that a very skilled person can create very beautiful art with any camera. Chase Jarvis has proven this with his Best Camera app and book titled "The Best Camera: Is the One That’s With You in which he displays his artistic photos from around the world taken solely with his iPhone. However, in the case of Northern Lights, there is definitely some required gear.
You need a DSLR! It is true that with a good point and shoot that has manual exposure mode you can probably correctly expose a photo of the aurora, but your not going to get a good photo with it. Unfortunately, the sensor on these types of cameras are simply too small and create excessive noise in these most demanding of conditions. Both Canon and Nikon (and others) make very good DSLR's in the consumer range now that are more than adequate. Buy the best you can afford but don't overspend either. Most any modern DSLR will do an adequate job.
The next thing that is an absolute necessity, is a good tripod. Not the $20 tripod you can pick up at Best Buy, but a good solid tripod. They are a bit spendy but well worth the investment even for a hobbyist. Most Sportsman's Warehouse type stores carry a decent variety for spotting scopes. These will work just fine but you may want to check out the head and see what works best. For Northern Lights I recommend a ball head.I should also add that if you are in Fairbanks and find you left something behind or just need something, Fairbanks Fast Foto has a good selection of most things you'll need.
Most of the time I am shooting Northern Lights, I am on one of the two tallest points in the Fairbanks area. High winds often blow me around, and are even harder on my camera and tripod. Combine this with the long exposure times it takes to photograph aurora and the need for good, solid stability becomes apparent. Keeping your tripod low to the ground helps alleviate some of this. As an additional measure, I'll sometimes suspend weight of some sort (a camera bag) from the center post of the tripod for even greater stability.
Another thing I highly recommend is a good, fast, wide angle lens. You can get good shots without it, and I have, but this will dramatically improve your photos and your experience. It will also help to cut down exposure times allowing you more creative freedom and less risk of blurred shots. The downside, these types of lenses can often cost more than the camera itself. Tamron, Sigma, and even Tokina make some fairly fast, wide-angle lenses with great image quality and at about 1/3rd of the price! Again, buy the best you can afford but don't mortgage the house to do it. I should note here that by "fast" I mean large f-stops or apertures. I'll discuss this in more detail in another post but for the sake of this discussion, fast means they allow more light to reach the sensor in less time.f/2.8 or faster is great for aurora. The smaller the number the "faster" the lens.
The next thing to have on board is a good shutter release. Either the wired kind or a wireless will work just fine. I use one that has a built in timer and interval meter so I can shoot time lapse as well. You can also use the self timer if you don't have a shutter release. By using either a shutter release or the self timer you will help to eliminate vibrations and camera movement that can blur your shots at longer exposure times.
I would also consider it necessary to carry extra batteries for the camera and any other gear you might have. If your up in Fairbanks for example the temperatures in the winter are commonly in the sub-zero double digits. Sometimes as cold as -50ยบ F. Batteries don't like the cold and die MUCH faster in these temps than normal. Combine this with the long exposure times which consume much more power than your standard snapshot, and battery life is minimal.
While we are on the subject of the extreme cold conditions, lets talk a bit about the gear required because of this. First, you should of course dress appropriately with many layers. If your a visitor to Fairbanks or Canada, I would highly recommend stopping by a local outfitter store and asking for assistance in gearing up for aurora watching.More is always better. You can always shed it but believe me, nothing will wreck your aurora experience like being under dressed.
It's also a good idea to carry enough hand warmers for yourself and to attach to your camera as this will help keep it warm and prevent frost on the lens. You can use a rubber band or tape (Gorilla tape is my fix all and I'm not often without it.) to attach them or even better, wrap a towel around the camera and tape it in place with the hand warmers inside, near the battery compartment.There are also "coats" for your camera but once you put the camera inside it makes it harder to use because the entire camera is covered up.
Another VERY IMPORTANT tip is to bring a few large Ziploc Freezer Bags with you. If you take a camera from the cold and bring it into a warm vehicle condensation is sure to occur inside the inner workings of your pricey gear. A good way to handle this is, at the end of the shoot, place the camera and lens in one of the Ziplocs and then place that inside your camera bag. Zip the camera bag shut immediately and leave it until morning. This will allow the camera to warm up to room temperature slowly and in combination with the Ziploc will help prevent moisture troubles. I also use the little silica packets that come with leather shoes etc. to help dry any moisture that occurs. I've also recently found a great product called DAMPRID which can be found where you find moth balls at your local store that works great for this! Thanks Kevin! Also IMPORTANT: don't forget to remove your memory card prior to stowing the camera so you don't have to wait till morning to see your results.
You should also carry a good flashlight and a headlamp. This will help with focusing and to prevent any stumbling out there in the dark. It can also be used for some creative lighting effects if you desire. I always try to carry plenty of water and a few energy bars and some emergency gear... just in case! I can also tell you from experience that a good shovel is never a bad idea! ;-)
Ok so you've got your gear, your dressed like an Eskimo, your batteries are all charged up, your ready to go! You've checked the weather forecast, the aurora forecast and even the traffic forecast and all is aligning for a fantastic night. It just so happens that you're in Fairbanks but don't know where to go. I have a few suggestions for you! You knew I wouldn't leave ya hanging, didn't ya? Chena Hot Springs Resort offers some good Aurora views and a great place to sleep, eat, and soak in the natural hot springs. They also have the World Famous Aurora Ice Museum!
The 3 places I most often shoot from are Murphy Dome(45 min), Ester Dome(15 min), or Cleary Summit(35 min) between Fox and Chatinika. Of these spots, Ester is the closest and easiest to access from town. Plus you may catch UAF launching a rocket. You can see them from many places much closer to town but you will find a high amount of light pollution from the city in your shots.
The fun part...
Now to actually shoot them! As a side note, if you don't know how to access some of the features mentioned below I would suggest a browse through your camera's manual as you read this. I use a custom White Balance or WB but using tungsten is close. You should experiment with this and find your own preference as it's relative. If you can set the K or Kelvin temperature (that's how light's temperature or color cast is measured) play with that a bit till you find something that suites you. Also, if you have editing software, I HIGHLY recommend shooting in RAW.
Once you're in location, and the lights are dancing nicely (this often takes some patients), I find it easiest to use the Aperture Priority (AV) exposure mode. I like to shoot manual a lot of the time as this gives me a lot finer tuned images, but for the sake of those new to this we will discuss the former. So, select AV mode, set your ISO to 800 or greater (keeping in mind the higher the ISO the more digital noise will become a problem especially with long exposure times), adjust your aperture so that it is wide open (the smallest number possible i.e. f/2.8 as opposed to f/11) and set your exposure compensation to +1. This is a good starting point and you can adjust exposure up or down as you desire. Keep in mind that your shutter speed is now determined by the camera's meter. This means that as you increase the exposure you thus increase the amount of time the shutter is open and visa-verse. The shorter the shutter duration, the better you will freeze the motion of the lights. They do move quickly at times.
Next, you'll want to set your focus. To do this I will generally find the composition I like and decide what should be in sharp focus. This could be a rock in the foreground, a tree in the distance or even the stars themselves. In the case of the later, I will use the moon to focus if that is possible or I will manually focus to infinity (the sideways looking 8) and bring it back just a touch. This is different with every lens and it might be a good idea to experiment before hand to get a good idea of where your best infinite focus is.
As for focusing on that rock in the foreground (which tends to yield the best results), shine your flashlight on the rock at the point you want most in focus. View that spot through the camera and lock the focus there. Then, with the focus still locked, turn auto-focus off. Generally by sliding a switch on the lens. NOTE: This only works if your camera is set to a one shot focus mode!
Most DSLR's now have the option to use mirror lock-up. You should use this if your camera has this option. The mirror allows you to "see what the lens sees" by redirecting the view to the view finder. When you snap a photo, the mirror is then "flipped" up out of the way of the shutter and sensor so the sensor can record the image. This mirror motion can actually cause vibrations that will cause your shots to be blurry or fuzzy during long exposures. By using Mirror Lock-up the mirror flips up a few seconds prior to the exposure allowing time for any vibrations to settle.
If you haven't already, this is a good time to attach your shutter release or set your camera's self timer to the shortest duration. You're ready to begin shooting! Experiment and have fun. These suggestions are merely that and intended as a guideline to get you started. Finally, getting good Northern Lights photos often takes time, patients and practice. Plan to go out for the full night. I've often come back with some great shots because I stayed out even when it looked bleak. On the contrary, I've missed some great opportunities because I gave up too early.
A few fun facts about the Northern Lights to leave you with. I found these in the January-February addition of the Canadian "Up Here Magazine" which features several of my WEIO Photos (pg. 56). Be sure to check it out!
By the Numbers³
240 - Nights per a year the aurora is visible in the central NWT and Southern Nunavut. 50 - Nights per year it's visible in the High Arctic. 1 - Nights per year it's visible in Los Angeles. 24 - Hours per day that the aurora is active. 80 - Elevation, in kilometers, of pale green auroras. 400 - Elevation, in kilometers, of bright red auroras. 200,000 - Volts measured in auroras during intense magnetic storms. 11 - Number of years between peaks in auroral activity. 3 - Number of years until the next peak. 3,000,000 - Speed, in kilometers per hour, at which charged solar particles bombard Earth's atmosphere, setting off the aurora. 1,500 - Frequency per year that those bursts hit earth. 1958 - Year an aurora was seen in Mexico City. 1616 - Year in which Galileo Galilei coined the name "aurora borealis." 1 - Calls made to the Fairbanks, Alaska fire station after an aurora was mistaken for a raging wildfire.
You can also find my Aurora Time Lapse videos on Youtube.
If you have any questions feel free to tweet them to me @RMurrayPhoto
² Salat, Todd (http://aurorahunter.com/aurora-prediction.php) Accessed 2010
³ Postma, Robert
January - February 2010. By the Numbers. Up Here. Vol. 26, Number 1. pp. 16
