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CAPTURING THE
AURORA BOREALIS
The Northern Lights are Mother Nature's best light show leaving a lasting impression on anyone fortunate enough to cast their eyes towards the sky to see the phenomenon play out. Here are some tips on how to take the best photos of the dancing, jiving Aurora Borealis.
THE EQUIPMENT
Tripod: First and foremost you will need a steady photo. If there's any movement to your camera, your photos will be blurry and trust us, you won't be able to hold it still with just your hands for this length of time no matter how hard you try.
Camera: Make sure you have a DSLR camera with the function to change the shutter speed. You will find this listed as "TV" (time value) on a Canon, or S (for shutter speed) on a Nikon. If you have another brand be sure to look for a shutter speed of at least 10 seconds.
Countdown Timer: Use this built-in feature to allow for time to rest after the inevitable movement to the camera that pressing the push-button to take the photo creates on the tripod.
THE PROCESS
Fix your camera to the top of the tripod at the widest zoom possible; you want to capture as much of the night sky in the image as you can.
Set your camera's shutter speed to 10 secs
Set your camera's countdown timer to 5 secs minimum.
Take the photo.
The camera will count down for 5 secs, followed by 10 secs of exposure. During this time the lens of the camera will open, allowing plenty of light to hit the sensor. At the end of the 10 secs, you should have a photo of the northern lights.
If the image you see is still too dark, consider setting the shutter speed to a longer duration such as 15 or 20 secs. Alternatively, look to adjust your camera's ISO value (light sensitivity). Set this to a value of ISO 800 to begin with and work up incrementally until you're satisfied with the result.
