Introduction
New year was brought in with quite the introduction; as extremely strong aurora held out until early evening until darkness came. I managed to get to a few locations to work some compositions as I missed the strongest part of the show which happened around 5:30PM GMT. To see more, visit my facebook or instagram. If you want to learn how I do this, visit my aurora shooting guide here, or leave a comment if you have any questions.
Aurora Road - Nikon D810, Sigma 14/1.8 Art.
This was a bit of an impromtu outing; we were about to have dinner but decided to postpone as an aurora alert was picked up by the Glendale App. Missing the first major part of the display, we arrived at around 5:50pm and my son took this first picture with a little help from myself. (He already is good with the settings; I helped just line up the road properly in the foreground with the heavy 14mm Sigma prime - we had to act fast as the aurora was slowy fading and had to watch for cars of course). Never turn your nose up at a quick roat shot, if done correctly it can be quite impactful, and it at least means you secure at least one useable picture from the night! Just remember to work the composition. NB: On a PC, click any photograph to see them large. On mobile, simply pinch zoom into them for a more magnified view.
The Big Dipper and the Boats - Nikon D810 and Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art
Compositions were really difficult here. The reservoir was very high this evening, and the shoreline access restricted. There was a lot of clutter and boats sunken, and sitting stuck together. This at least allowed for them to remain stationary. I pulled out as much clutter as I could in these shots, acutely aware of the fading aurora light.
The Plough over Glendevon - Nikon Z8 with 24-70/2.8S
Sunken Boat and Aurora - Nikon D810 and Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art
I quite liked the simplicity of this picture, and just the glow from the sky reflecting off the water. I framed up with the plough (or big dipper) and the Draco constellation (or the Dragon - the head of which you can see upper left shining brightly).
The Frandy Tree - Nikon Z8 with 14-24/2.8
Lastly a quick jaunt to a tree I have photographed far too much, however just could not resist because there was no wind and still some aurora in the sky. I doubt I will top my previous efforts, as the lights were so strong. Still however, a worthwhile picture. Looking South, we could see a SAR (A Sub Aurora Red arc) across the sky, as shown in the above image. Conditions were perfect to photograph the tree. We want, aurora, no moon, and no wind (yeah and obviously clear skies). It is very important that there is no wind for tree shots such as this, otherwise the edge branches blur out. The next shot is looking north, the direction that aurora is usually photographed from:
Frandy Tree and the Milky Way - Nikon Z8 with 14-24/2.8S
Closing Thoughts
Remember that aperture is vital to achieving great aurora images, especially when it is faint. You want nothing slower than f/2.8, and ideally faster, especially for shorter focal length lenses. If you miss the strongest parts of the show like I did, do not be disheartened; even weak aurora in the sky with a more thought-out composition, always beats a poorly composed snapshot showing rays in the sky with a black foreground. Keep your pictures looking like night time, and always think quality over quantity.
Keep watching the skies!
Steve