![]() ![]() ISO - your camera’s sensitivity to light. Since the northern lights are lights that our eyes can not always pick up, a wide aperture allows your camera to see what our eyes can’t. “The lower the number gets, the better your pictures will be the lower the aperture, the more light the camera will let in,” he said. Ideally, with a lens with an F stop of 2.8 or lower. Ilstrup suggests keeping your camera’s aperture as wide open as you can. If you think of the aperture as the pupil of a camera’s eye, you can shrink or enlarge the size of the aperture to allow more or less light to reach your camera sensor. “I’ll normally try to keep mine under five seconds, but it is a lot of trial and error.”Īperture - the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera. “The longer the shutter speed, the more the lights are going to blur together because they are constantly moving,” said Ilstrup. Otherwise, the photo will end up looking like a “blob” of color. Finding the sweet spot for shutter speed will produce a sharper image of the lights. Ilstrup says the trick is to get the perfect exposure time to capture the movement of the lights, usually around one to two seconds. A fast shutter speed creates a shorter exposure - the amount of light the camera takes in - and a slow shutter speed gives the photographer a longer exposure. Shutter speed - the speed at which the shutter of the camera closes. Ilstrup listed several key factors for shooting the northern lights: It is just a matter of getting out and doing it and connecting with people.” You’re going to be really bad right away. And don’t compare yourself to others, which is easy to do in today’s world with social media. “Figure out what camera is right for you or what you can afford. Get good with the camera you have and update as needed, he said. Buy what you can afford and practice, practice, practice like you would with any other skill. Ilstrup suggests, for those starting to get into photography, not to buy the most expensive camera and lens. While Erickson shoots with a Nikon 5100 and a Tamron 18mm – 70mm lens. Ilstrup shoots with a Sony A7R4 equipped with his Sony 16mm – 35mm F4, Sony 24mm – 70mm F2.8, or his 12mm F2.8 lens. “I suggest going at least five to 10 miles out of town.” SETTING UP THE CAMERA If it is a strong light show, you will see them - even from the Alexandria area,” Ilstrup said, adding that it helps to get away from the town’s light pollution. “And you do not have to be far north to see them. Their glow will drown out the northern lights if the moon is too full. If there are too many clouds, you won’t see the lights. He also checks for things like cloud cover and moon phases. The faster the solar wind blows, the greater the turbulence, according to . Ilstrup says when he goes out, he likes the KP index to be over five. There is also the KP index - the disturbance of the Earth’s magnetic field caused by the solar wind. I think it takes an average of three days for them to reach the Earth, so you don’t really know when it will hit. You could get really good northern lights when that happens, but they are unpredictable. ![]() “The goal is that the CME will hit the Earth’s atmosphere. “Basically, a solar flare that breaks off from the sun will travel a crazy distance to the earth,” said Ilstrup. Its website displays current CME readings - Coronal Mass Ejections - a significant release of plasma and accompanying magnetic field from the sun’s corona into the solar wind. Ilstrup says he plans his night of chasing lights by checking specific data points from the Space Weather Prediction Center / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ![]() The rest is just a waiting game of trials and errors,” he said. “Many people get hung up on what time they should shoot. He suggests going out as soon as it gets dark, as they can happen during the day can’t be seen because of the sun. Most of the time, it is a very muted green off in the horizon,” he said. “The whole sky is not going to turn neon green. Ilstrup says those looking to capture a northern lights shot should adjust their expectations. (Photo: Tim Erickson via the Alexandria Echo Press via the Forum News Service) Tim EricksonTim Erickson took this photo of the northern lights shining over Smith Lake on Nov.
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