Franconia Aurora

The moon sets behind an outdoor sculpture while auroras light the sky at Franconia Sculpture Park.

Even if light pollution were not an issue, we’d rarely see the northern lights because our latitude in Minneapolis is outside the normal auroral oval.  But last week, Earth experienced a strong geomagnetic storm and we were suddenly in the middle of it!  Here was a chance to see aurora without traveling to Alaska or Manitoba! And it was the perfect opportunity to photograph them with my wide-angle lenses, one of which I call my “Milky Way/aurora lens”, a 2-1/2-pound monster for just this purpose! But we needed to get away from the city lights.

There is a sculpture park, Franconia, that Poldi and I have enjoyed and contributed to for many years, and it was less than an hour from home. We arrived before sunset and sought permission to take photos, even after the normal park closing time. As I was scouting for locations and setting up tripods, a trickle of other visitors arrived with the same purpose: to see the predicted northern lights. As twilight faded, the aurora tourists expanded to dozens of vehicles, all of which had headlights that swept across the sculpture park grounds, interfering with my carefully selected compositions.

I have learned not to react to unexpected lighting situations. Oftentimes, they make for interesting photographic results. One of my favorite examples is when I was shooting reflections on a calm alpine lake and a group of partiers arrived and went skinnydipping, breaking up the smooth lake surface. Rather than close the shutter and move on, I kept it open for the duration of my planned exposure. It created a wonderful blend of reflected and scattered light!

Continue reading

Icelandic Aurora

At 66 degrees north, Husavik Iceland is one degree away from the arctic circle.  This places it directly beneath the usual position of the auroral oval, that zone of active energized atmosphere that creates the northern lights.  The weather in Iceland is often overcast, but on this day the clouds cleared and the aurora were so brilliant they could be seen even over the lights of the city center and its active harbor.

View full size.

Husavik Iceland
21 September 2017
Canon EOS 60Da, EFS 10-22mm @ 12mm
2 sec, f/4, ISO 800


previous | nightscapes index | next


Abisko Aurora-2

The view from the docks at  the town of Abisko on Lake Trondetraske. The “Gates of Lapland” is seen in the distance as a notch in the wall of mountains.

View full size.

Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
30 seconds, f/4.5, ISO 1600


previous | nightscapes index | next


Ghost Train

During this 8-second exposure, a train enters the view, its headlight illuminating the landscape.  The train adds its own trails of light, including the arcs of its electrical contact with the overhead wire.

View full size.

Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600


previous | nightscapes index | next


Photographing Aurora

As ribbons of northern light drift above us, another aurora photographer arranges her next shot.  The technique is not difficult and the results on the small camera screen reveal colors and textures beyond what we could see ourselves directly.

View full size.

Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600


previous | nightscapes index | next