My first Aurora pictures

[Skavikeng]

Hello all !
I have been watching your photos and you guys are so damn good it makes me nervous to even post any pictures on this forum.. but if i am to get any better and use my camera to its full extent i need the pointers both for Post-processing tweaks as well as camera settings so here goes

Winter is closing in and the days here above the arctic circle is growing more and more dark.
Yesterday i could see this seasons first aurora and i had to test out the new camera even though my tri-pod haven't arrived yet, so the first photo is captured by supporting the camera on the roof of my car and the results aren't picture perfect, but for my first Aurora photo i dont think its too bad either.

Camera used: Fujifilm X-E1
Lens: Fujinon XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 OIS
Fileformat: RAW (.RAF)

F2.8, Iso 640, 14 sec

Unfortunately this picture was ruined due to the fact i did not have a tri-pod and i could not hold the camera still for the 40 sec exposure. I was supporting it on a rock but still i got the wobbles..
But i choose to include it just beacouse the lighting in the picture is really beautiful

F2.8, Iso200, 40 sec

I am looking forward to the Aurora season here in Lofoten - North Norway
And hopefully at the end of the winter season i will be able to produce som great photos.
My main concern is that i feel i am not getting as much clarity in my photos as i want,
i don`t know if it is beacouse of instability when shooting the photo, if it is the sensor that is just to small to produce enough clarity.. or if i just need more practise with post-processing of the picture.
So any comments on how to improve my photos both for post-processing and camera settings are very welcome

 

[sscarmack]

All I can say is this is awesome! Its on my 'bucket list', your lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

Keep on practicing.

 

[Gary A.]

Great capture. If you had a soft camera bag with you ... it makes a pretty good platform for stabilizing a camera.

Gary

 

[bc_steve]

You won't get as much clarity as you want without a tripod but there are still things you can do. Unless you have a remote shutter release (a couple dollars on a site like ebay), use your autotimer and set it to 5 seconds or so. This will eliminate the camera shake from pressing the button. You can stabilize the camera pretty easily by resting it on some clothing or a backpack but it gets a little tricky to see through the viewfinder.

To focus at night I find it is best to zoom in with live view on the brightest thing you can find. A light off in the distance, venus, the brightest star you find, etc. Then manually focus. When the dot appears smallest it is in focus. I find this is easier than using the viewfinder and more accurate than setting your lens to infinity, especially since there's no mark or hard stop on modern lenses. This will be easiest on a wide aperture lens.

I think both images are a little dark. It will get noisier but I think you'd benefit by shooting at a higher ISO. You can do noise reduction in post, and if your camera has the option you can have it do an in-camera long exposure noise reduction. Not sure your focal length but you could probably get away with a longer shutter speed ( if you weren't shooting handheld). You want to be careful doing too long an exposure or the stars will streak slightly. You can see this in your second shot. I think the stars look good as points or as longer streaks but I don't like the look of a 40 second exposure where they are just beginning to streak.

Finally, a picture of the northern lights will be much more interesting with a more visible foreground. The lake especially. At a higher ISO I think the reflection would really look nice. You could also shoot somewhere there is a light source in the environment or you could light something yourself. Or you could just wait a while. I assume you must live somewhere it snows? Once it does the ground will reflect a lot more light, so that will help too.

Just some things I've learned along the way. I hope it helps!

 

[bc_steve]

Just re-read your post. Northern Norway, ya pretty sure it snows there! Must be a beautiful place in the daytime too.

 

[chris foxe]

from downunder to uptop, all i can say is WOW, also on my bucket list to see this for myself.

 

[BillM]

As already said, the tripod is going to really help. I really like the way you used the mountains to frame the second shot, looking forward to seeing more

 

[avraam]

wow, it's fantastic) like in fairytale)

 

[dannylightning]

that must be amazing to see in person, great job of capturing the image..

 

[Nevermore1]

Great photos! This is definitely one thing I want to get to see sometime in the next few years!

 

[Cat & Mike]

excellent effort considering the conditions shot in. Lovely colours and thanks for sharing.

 

[LCLimages]

I shot the Aurora last summer when we had a big geomagnetic storm and I got extremely lucky. It was on my bucket list for years too so I studied the space weather and science and started watching the magnometers and solar data for a storm, and hot damn I got one. I live in NW Missouri, so folks - it IS possible to see them. Just not as common as up north. I also did not have my tripod with me and yours turned out much better than mine.

What I would suggest next time, as you will very much likely have a next time way before I do , is not going over a 15-20 second exposure. I shot mine on 15 seconds I think. Shoot about f/4-8, shoot the widest angle you can, autofocus (if possible) or manually focus on a distant bright object if as mentioned before, and then lock that focus. Raise your ISO until you get the shot. I'm not afraid of raising my ISO on the 6D because it handles that situation well, but I don't know about your camera. Nicely done for the first time and good luck getting more! It's a truly beautiful, awe inspiring, humbling sight to see.

 

[JustJazzie]

Technical issues aside. WOW! I would LOVE to do this someday! What a wonderful memory.
Now for the techs: I think my biggest issue here is the bright lights of the house. They are SO bright that I am pulled straight into them every time. I think the second is a better composition but I would probably have found a way to clone out the bright lights on the land, and in the water.