Northern Lights - Any tips?
Discussion
Hi all,
Don't post much in here as I've only recently taken up photography, and my mind is still reeling from functions and settings! But I'm hoping to take some good pics when I head to Iceland next week (assuming we see them!) and wondering if anyone on here has been and what tips you can give to a amateur beginner? Any help welcome, even really obvious things which'll i'll no doubt have over-looked!
Don't post much in here as I've only recently taken up photography, and my mind is still reeling from functions and settings! But I'm hoping to take some good pics when I head to Iceland next week (assuming we see them!) and wondering if anyone on here has been and what tips you can give to a amateur beginner? Any help welcome, even really obvious things which'll i'll no doubt have over-looked!
I wish I could help. I took some lovely pictures of them on a various mixture including irrelevant flashes, shaky pictures of night and some mountains etc etc
Out of about 20 point and click pictures I took not one of them has any indication that the northern lights were anywhere in the area!
IM curious as to the correct answer to this!
Out of about 20 point and click pictures I took not one of them has any indication that the northern lights were anywhere in the area!
IM curious as to the correct answer to this!
blindswelledrat said:
I wish I could help. I took some lovely pictures of them on a various mixture including irrelevant flashes, shaky pictures of night and some mountains etc etc
Out of about 20 point and click pictures I took not one of them has any indication that the northern lights were anywhere in the area!
IM curious as to the correct answer to this!
Haha, well I'm getting a tripod so hoping the pics will at least be in focus. I think i'll spend the next few nights out taking pictures of the moon to give me an idea of what the conditions will be like...Out of about 20 point and click pictures I took not one of them has any indication that the northern lights were anywhere in the area!
IM curious as to the correct answer to this!
BSR I hear its cold - very cold - out there, how does the tour work? Do we just stand around at a suitable vantage point waiting for them to appear? Any tips in general on Iceland?
Edited by Seany88 on Thursday 27th January 12:10
Right - Did this last year on a Norwegian cruise and had reasonable results, but there are a few problems!
If you're on land use a tripod as exposures will be anything between 1 and 30 secs. Exposure is pretty much trial and error as it'll depend on moonlight, snow reflection, stars.
If you're on a boat as I was, then more problems,: Have your kit and warm clothing prepared for the shout that goes out, as it could well be halfway through the night.
Tripods are useless on moving vibrating boats - practice locking your arms in and holding your camera as still as possible - holding your breath helps too.
Use a wide angle lens or a prime lens as you'll need it to be as 'fast' as possible.
Shoot RAW to give yourself more lattitude in processing.
If you want the best results - use the best kit you can - I went 5Dmk11 for the full frame and low light capabilities and a 24mm L series lens. Hideously expensive but maybe hire?
I found with the above kit I could kit away with 2 second exposures, compared to 20/30 secs on a G10.
Cold isn't good for batteries, keep a spare in a nice warm pocket.
When framing your shot(s) try to include some kind of foreground/ground detail to give some idea of scale.
Take loads and have enough memory!
If you're on land use a tripod as exposures will be anything between 1 and 30 secs. Exposure is pretty much trial and error as it'll depend on moonlight, snow reflection, stars.
If you're on a boat as I was, then more problems,: Have your kit and warm clothing prepared for the shout that goes out, as it could well be halfway through the night.
Tripods are useless on moving vibrating boats - practice locking your arms in and holding your camera as still as possible - holding your breath helps too.
Use a wide angle lens or a prime lens as you'll need it to be as 'fast' as possible.
Shoot RAW to give yourself more lattitude in processing.
If you want the best results - use the best kit you can - I went 5Dmk11 for the full frame and low light capabilities and a 24mm L series lens. Hideously expensive but maybe hire?
I found with the above kit I could kit away with 2 second exposures, compared to 20/30 secs on a G10.
Cold isn't good for batteries, keep a spare in a nice warm pocket.
When framing your shot(s) try to include some kind of foreground/ground detail to give some idea of scale.
Take loads and have enough memory!
Seany88 said:
blindswelledrat said:
BSR I hear its cold - very cold - out there, how does the tour work? Do we just stand around at a suitable vantage point waiting for them to appear? Any tips in general on Iceland?
SOrry, I didnt explain very well. I was in northern Norway so and not really on an organised tour as such so I couldn't answer. Although it was nowhere near as cold as I was expecting, if that helps.Edited by Seany88 on Thursday 27th January 12:10
INcidentally- not sure how much difference a tripod makes. The lights are constantly moving and a lot more quickly than I expected thus presumably you somehow need a quick shutter speed despite the low light. And I know nothing of exposure so listen to people who aren't me.
Seany88 said:
blindswelledrat said:
I wish I could help. I took some lovely pictures of them on a various mixture including irrelevant flashes, shaky pictures of night and some mountains etc etc
Out of about 20 point and click pictures I took not one of them has any indication that the northern lights were anywhere in the area!
IM curious as to the correct answer to this!
Haha, well I'm getting a tripod so hoping the pics will at least be in focus. I think i'll spend the next few nights out taking pictures of the moon to give me an idea of what the conditions will be like...Out of about 20 point and click pictures I took not one of them has any indication that the northern lights were anywhere in the area!
IM curious as to the correct answer to this!
BSR I hear its cold - very cold - out there, how does the tour work? Do we just stand around at a suitable vantage point waiting for them to appear? Any tips in general on Iceland?
Edited by Seany88 on Thursday 27th January 12:10
Be very very careful touching anything metal at these temps as you do tend to stick to stuff. I'd get some silk glove liners (to wear under your big gloves) as they take away very little dexterity so you can still photograph, but will stop you sticking to the camera. And minimise the risk of frostbite.
You also need to consider which batteries to use - my tip would be to use these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Ultimate-626264-... as they work well at very low temps.
General clothing wise, use lots of layers - top and bottom. Go for goose-down if you have it. Balaclavas are also a godsend.
Seany88 said:
Goose-down? Hadn't thought of balaclavas, good idea thanks.
Jacket filled with goose down - the best cold weather gear you can buy.Here for the best quality / price balance.
http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product...
nogsk said:
Right - Did this last year on a Norwegian cruise and had reasonable results, but there are a few problems!
If you're on land use a tripod as exposures will be anything between 1 and 30 secs. Exposure is pretty much trial and error as it'll depend on moonlight, snow reflection, stars.
If you're on a boat as I was, then more problems,: Have your kit and warm clothing prepared for the shout that goes out, as it could well be halfway through the night.
Tripods are useless on moving vibrating boats - practice locking your arms in and holding your camera as still as possible - holding your breath helps too.
Use a wide angle lens or a prime lens as you'll need it to be as 'fast' as possible.
Shoot RAW to give yourself more lattitude in processing.
If you want the best results - use the best kit you can - I went 5Dmk11 for the full frame and low light capabilities and a 24mm L series lens. Hideously expensive but maybe hire?
I found with the above kit I could kit away with 2 second exposures, compared to 20/30 secs on a G10.
Cold isn't good for batteries, keep a spare in a nice warm pocket.
When framing your shot(s) try to include some kind of foreground/ground detail to give some idea of scale.
Take loads and have enough memory!
Thanks for the reply. Ok i've got a 7D with the 28-135mm kit lens and a 50mm f1.4, so do you think the 50mm will be the better choice? If you're on land use a tripod as exposures will be anything between 1 and 30 secs. Exposure is pretty much trial and error as it'll depend on moonlight, snow reflection, stars.
If you're on a boat as I was, then more problems,: Have your kit and warm clothing prepared for the shout that goes out, as it could well be halfway through the night.
Tripods are useless on moving vibrating boats - practice locking your arms in and holding your camera as still as possible - holding your breath helps too.
Use a wide angle lens or a prime lens as you'll need it to be as 'fast' as possible.
Shoot RAW to give yourself more lattitude in processing.
If you want the best results - use the best kit you can - I went 5Dmk11 for the full frame and low light capabilities and a 24mm L series lens. Hideously expensive but maybe hire?
I found with the above kit I could kit away with 2 second exposures, compared to 20/30 secs on a G10.
Cold isn't good for batteries, keep a spare in a nice warm pocket.
When framing your shot(s) try to include some kind of foreground/ground detail to give some idea of scale.
Take loads and have enough memory!
On a side note I seem to have terrible trouble in cold conditions changing the lenses over as they just keep misting up when indoors!
How to the lights actually appear? Are they quick flashes of light or more prolonged displays?
This chap has some of the best pictures of the Northern Lights I have come accross. He has quite a lot of info on his pictures about exposure times etc that he uses. Might be worth a look....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/salomonsen/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/salomonsen/
I did this trip last year - The same weekend the volcano first erupted 
Weather is cold and the wind expecially can be biting - Dress in layers. I actually bought a set of ski pants from eBay for £5 which combined with full-body thermals and several upper-body layers with a decent wind-proof outer layer did just the job. Extremeties are most important (layers of socks and robust footwear) and also a good hat (especially if, like me, you are thinning!!).
Sadly I cannot give any photography advice as for the 3 nights it was cloudy!!
Weather is cold and the wind expecially can be biting - Dress in layers. I actually bought a set of ski pants from eBay for £5 which combined with full-body thermals and several upper-body layers with a decent wind-proof outer layer did just the job. Extremeties are most important (layers of socks and robust footwear) and also a good hat (especially if, like me, you are thinning!!).
Sadly I cannot give any photography advice as for the 3 nights it was cloudy!!
Think I'd stick with the 50, your zoom is probably going to be too slow and you'll be wanting a landscape feel and will give you much more control over exposure times.
When I saw the lights they were in the sky for quite some time, saw them on 2 nights and the duration was about 5 minutes the first time and about 15 minutes the next, but I understand that seeing them is a bit hit and miss!
The colours can be quite vibrant, but you get a 'soft' look as the lights move about and the longer exposures soften the effect.
The site suggested gives you a good idea of the kind of thing you'll after.
7D should be fine, make sure your familiar with the camera and have everything as 'set' as you can as making adjustments in the dark, with cold fingers isn't easy!
Good luck!
When I saw the lights they were in the sky for quite some time, saw them on 2 nights and the duration was about 5 minutes the first time and about 15 minutes the next, but I understand that seeing them is a bit hit and miss!
The colours can be quite vibrant, but you get a 'soft' look as the lights move about and the longer exposures soften the effect.
The site suggested gives you a good idea of the kind of thing you'll after.
7D should be fine, make sure your familiar with the camera and have everything as 'set' as you can as making adjustments in the dark, with cold fingers isn't easy!
Good luck!
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