Retrospective continues: On this day ...... 11 years ago ....... Aurora Borealis, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
This is one of the first ever shots I took with a (film) SLR, the company that organised the Aurora tour provided a pro photographer and he taught me the settings I needed and coached me, so my first photography beyond a basic little instamatic style camera was on manual/bulb setting, iso800 film and long exposures in -30 deg C temps.
It took me awhile to learn more about using my camera, I could have done with the coaching on other types of shots, for instance ...in daylight. I bought the camera specifically to shoot the aurora and it was this trip where my interest in photography became an obsession.
But a photo doesn't come close to how amazing it was to see them in real life ..... and to hear them, they make a crackling sound.
Edit: It came out pretty washed out when I loaded it on 365 - far more than it was on my computer, so I hit it with PicMonkey - thanks for the suggestion Robin
Amazing experience and great shot of this astonishing phenomenon. (My photos always look washed-out on 365; I usually increase the saturation a little before uploading and that generally does the trick. Why don't you go into PicMonkey with this one and try doing that and see how it goes? You can do it from your own site.)
This is way beautiful Megan! Amazing you captured it like this!! I was lucky to see Aurora Borealis some years ago in the North of Finland and couldn't even capture it with my crappy old point and shoot I had then.
@brav thanks, and thanks for the follow @girlie tried that and it worked, thanks, colours are back at the intensity I saw on my screen (and in real life) @synke I want to see the aurora again, especially now I have a dslr, I think I could happily see it thousands of times and never tire of it @pizzaboy it really was an amazing experience
How ethereal and magical.........had no idea you could hear it. Boy Megan, what an AWEsome beginning in photography! Wicked cold temps - didn't your shutter freeze, or the battery die??? Take care, Les x
Fantastic colours. I may have asked before, but have you been to Iceland? If not, maybe for your next n. lights trip? It's on my list, but maybe not in the dead of winter. ;) I'm going to start going through my old Morocco photos soon (on this day, 3 years ago...!).
@jgoldrup I have not (yet) been to Iceland - it is on my list (long, long list) of places i want to go
As is Morocco ...I look forward to seeing your Morocco shots
Now this is something I really would like to see. I was really impressed by a shot that you posted last year (or maybe it was the year before, I don't know what happened to last year).
@lbmcshutter I know, it is crazy hot down there! All the beautiful snow pictures we are seeing on 365 makes me want to go now! Maybe the next time I go to Canada I should make sure it is when we can do a Northern Lights tour.
@bella_ss
I thought the group I did it with were very good, and they seldom got Aussies so I was a bit of a novelty all over town. The trip is very popular with the Japanese - especially honeymooners apparently. If you are interested let me know and I will pass along their details, they were still going strong last time I looked them up. They had clothing for hire to help with the minus 30 C temps - it was lined with something that looked like carpet underlay, but that combined with other cold weather gear helped.
@lbmcshutter Thanks Megan, if only we were headed there now. From what I've read, they are best every 11 years and this year is meant to be big. You must have seen them at their best. We are going to Europe this year but too late to see the lights otherwise I would have included Norway.
January 8th, 2013
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@girlie tried that and it worked, thanks, colours are back at the intensity I saw on my screen (and in real life)
@synke I want to see the aurora again, especially now I have a dslr, I think I could happily see it thousands of times and never tire of it
@pizzaboy it really was an amazing experience
Beautiful capture
I want to see these in person too :)
As is Morocco ...I look forward to seeing your Morocco shots
I thought the group I did it with were very good, and they seldom got Aussies so I was a bit of a novelty all over town. The trip is very popular with the Japanese - especially honeymooners apparently. If you are interested let me know and I will pass along their details, they were still going strong last time I looked them up. They had clothing for hire to help with the minus 30 C temps - it was lined with something that looked like carpet underlay, but that combined with other cold weather gear helped.