Northern Lights from Last Night

[Charline]

Here's a short time lapse
https://youtube.com/shorts/LOsFlEHoNcM?feature=shared

[Shortsighted]

That's quite impressive Charline. Both the brilliance of the light show and that you would travel all that way up north to capture it are equally so.  I'm also amazed that it was so profound as close as Lake Simcoe.  I don't even want to drive to the west end of the GTA let alone all the way up to Temiskaming.  How long does it take to get up there?  And then you have to drive all the way back home after the photo shoot!  Mentioning "back", mine would be killing me after sitting that long.  Even taking the subway from Kennedy to Kipling, back in the day when I might visit CSSP, would give me a backache.  How about a little technical details of photography for the geeks among us.  I'll quite understand if your technique is secret and must therefore be kept under raps.  I probably wouldn't understand it anyway.  Nice work!
 

[Dr. John]

Beautiful.  I'm in northern Ontario currently, but it was rainy and cloudy last night.

[Charline]

Thanks for your kind words.


It was not planned. I was downtown to attend an event that evening but it was cancelled due to technical issues. Then I saw an email about a guided aurora tour at 8 pm. After texting the organizer, I realized that I could not make it on time.


The geomagnetic storm was so huge that I could not miss. So I took the public transit. By the time when I got there, it was almost midnight. There were so many police cars and parking enforcement along Lake Simcoe that I thought it was a major crime scene. The waterfront was as crowded as Yonge Street downtown, well almost.


I know the location well because I photographed aurora there in the past 10 years. I stayed overnight.


SS, you get up early to photograph the birds because you like it, right? I still have the pains and health concerns even if I stay at home. By doing what I love, at least I can forget about my troubles temporarily. By taking the public transit, at least I don't have to worry about driving. It is also way cheaper. Does it make sense?

[Charline]

Beautiful.  I'm in northern Ontario currently, but it was rainy and cloudy last night.

Thanks for liking my picture and video.

Yes, the weather was not ideal last night. The storm subsided substantially. There was no northern lights.

I will post more later.

SS. what technical details are you interested in?

[Shortsighted]

Just aperture, ISO and exposure time, that sort of thing.  I've never shot that kind of subject.


I sometimes get up a little on the early side, but not outrageously so.  I don't need to travel far to get to a birding site and therefore travelling times are generally only a few minutes to maybe 20 minutes time.  Nothing strenuous or courageous required.  Travelling from TO to Temiskaming by bus is on a whole other level of commitment, plus the confined space issue that remains inherent within a bus full of people when respiratory contagions is still making the rounds.  I suppose that to stay awake at midnight I would definitely need to sleep in and I'm not sure that I could even pull that off.  I would imagine that you checked the weather conditions before going way up there so that it would be worth it.

[Charline]

The northern lights can be very bright or not so bright. I must adjust the settings according to the actual light conditions.


Normally I will use aperture in the range of 1.8 - 4. Shutter speeds can vary from 1 second to 25 seconds. If you wish to catch the shapes of the lights, a fast shutter speed is better. If you use a very long exposure, the motion blur will erase the shapes.


I normally set my ISO up to 3200, and use auto ISO. The newer cameras can handle the high ISOs. If there are a lot of noises, Topaz can take care of that.


Usually I will take a few test shots and then make adjustments.


For me, the heavy telephoto lens is a major cause of the pains in the back, shoulders and wrists. That's why I rarely photograph birds these days. I did not bring my tripod. I borrowed a very good and heavy tripod from the owner of the b&b. I stay there often, we know each other for about 10 years.

[Charline]

Another pic

[Shortsighted]

Thanks for the technical details.  They are much as I suspected.  ISO 3200 if you manage to shoot in a dark location and much less if light pollution is an issue, except in this case the light pollution is the subject and isn't really man-made and therefore not really pollution.  Once again, one of the advantages of having a full-frame (FX) senor-equipped camera body, which I don't have.  I also figured that the aperture would be f2.8 or faster, which I also don't have.  I do have back pain but that is ... irrelevant, isn't it?  It is fortunate indeed that you have a place to spend the night otherwise the expedition might be near impossible.  I can't really relate on that front either.  I don't know anyone up there for ten years, or even for ten days and the likely accommodation costs negate any primal expeditionary impulse. 

[Charline]

Well, perhaps you missed something.


1. For the photos you saw, the details are: S 6 sec., F 2.5, ISO 2500 on a cropped sensor camera.
2. Do you think that I stayed at the b&b for free? Of course I paid for my lodging.


A couple of weeks ago, I was waiting for a Northland bus to go to Huntsville. One lady asked for some "bus fare" to "go home". One elderly man gave her $20. When I said to the man, "It's very nice of you to help her." He replied, "The money will not go anywhere with me." Since he is also taking the bus, I doubt if he is affluent.


A neighbor photographer recently rode his bike from coast to coast. He is not young nor rich.


We can decide what we wish to do with our time and money. Just please don't assume that those who are out there, are doing things without challenges.