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| Please contact us for additional information on how to capture the Northern Lights on film. More detailed information are available for clients on one of our tours. |
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| About capturing the Aurora on Photos |
For the first -time or for seasoned aurora photographer, a 35 mm camera on a tripod equipped with a cable release is a must. Use a wide-angle 24 mm to 50 mm lens and set it to an f-stop which is the fastest - or one slower to avoid distortion of bright star images - usually f/1.4 - f/2.8.
Exposures of 5 to 15 seconds work well unless the aurora is faint or mostly stationary, in which case the exposure time should be doubled. People tend to overexpose their photos, causing the aurora to look washed out. If the aurora is bright, moonlight and city lights should not interfere and can offer an interesting foreground. Never use filters because they could cause internal reflections.
If it is very dark, a silhouette of a tree of lit cabin will certainly add to the scene. Video cameras are normally not sensitive enough to successfully record the aurora.
Because aurora occurs under clear skies, photographers will often be shooting in temperatures well below zero. Since cold saps camera batteries, it is advisable to use an older camera with mechanical shutter instead of one that is fully automatic. Cold also makes plastic brittle, so the cable release should be wired mesh vice plastic. At minus 40 Fahrenheit, all cameras will freeze in less than 10 minutes; before taking it inside to warm, place it in a zip-lock plastic bag to reduce condensation.
Tape the lens to infinity so that it doesn’t slip and cause your images to be out of focus. Don’t try for a 37 th exposure; it might break the film, and it is best to overexpose your first frame on the roll so that the film processor knows where to start cutting your negatives.
Wind your finished roll of film slowly so that it doesn’t shatter or cause static buildup - this may appear as scratch. While Kodak film processing mailers are generally reliable, it may be worth the extra cost to have the film processed through a custom photo lab. Going the custom lab route will save the film from being lost in the mail or scratched in an automated process.
Slower speed film ( print or slide ) has better gain resolution; making for a sharper image when enlarged. Thus it may be too slow to record the fine detail structure of the aurora.
Medium-speed color film ( 200 /400 ASA ) works as well. Purists insist on slide film. You can try a faster film, but keep in mind that graininess and color quality tend to decrease with increasing film speed. We recommend using 400 speed film which is a good compromise between detail and quality of the image.
Different films will emphasize different colors of the aurora, so experimentation is advisable. Bracketing your exposures ( 5 seconds, 10 seconds and 15 seconds ) will give you the characteristics of the film. Even in a roll of 36 exposures, there are only a few shots that are acceptable to me.
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| Can I videotape the Aurora ? |
Videotaping the aurora generally takes highly specialized video equipment.
Generally - camcorders are not sensitive enough to see the aurora, though a few will record a faint, smokey image given a sufficiently bright aurora. Your best bet for video showing the color and motion of the aurora is to purchase a professionally - recorded tape such as one distributed by Northern Lights Tours LLC form the Geophysical Institute in Fairbanks.
Thus, some home video cameras are capable of picking up bright auroras. In particular, a camera rated at - less than one lux sensitivity has captured - faintly and colorlessly a bright auroral arc. Many cameras which have special features such as digital zoom and / or vibration compensation are much less sensitive and will not show the aurora.
The most annoying problem with home video cameras in low-light situations is their inability to focus.
If your camera has a focus-lock button, you may be able to focus on a distant, brightly-lit object, and lock the focus…then see if you can pick up the moon or perhaps catch a hint of an extremely bright aurora. Just don’t expect much, because home video cameras aren’t designed to do low-light recording.
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| Do Not Forget … |
Personal: fleece or heavy wool sweater, down jacket or similar cold weather gear with attached hood, gloves, sun glasses, swimsuit, wool shirts, cotton or thermal underwear, mittens, sturdy winter boots, lip balsam, moisturizing cream.
Photo: camera, lenses, plenty of film with various speeds, tripod, cable release, zip-lock bags.
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