It’s the time for many of us to see and photograph the auroras. Sadly, thatt generates a lot of invalid arguments about how the images should or should not look. But here’s how you can capture them in all their glory.

An interesting discussion developed in the comments section of a previous article I wrote. I was about whether my use of in-camera and post-production digital effects could still be called photography. It’s an old argument, but it got me wondering where we draw the line, especially when photographing the aurora.

I’ve spoken before about the rift that lies between reality and a photograph; our eyes only pick up a fraction of all the information that makes up reality. Some physicists are struggling with the nature of reality and claim that our universe is just a “product of quantum machinations in a lower dimensional setting.” In plain English, they are theorizing that reality is an illusion.

However, if, as The Beatles’ song Strawberry Fields Forever suggests, nothing is real, and the world around us is an illusion, does anything matter? That idea doesn’t help us in our day-to-day lives. We must rely on naïve realism and believe that the world we see around us is real and as it is, otherwise we can neither function in our daily lives nor in society.

Nevertheless, a photograph is one more step away from actuality. So, although we adopt a naïve realistic approach to what we see about us, with photos it still isn’t as simple as some would have you believe. This is illustrated best when we come to photographing the aurora. Why? Because our cameras reveal what our eyes cannot see.

What Is the Aurora?

We are fast approaching Solar Maximum. It’s the time when the 11-year cycle of the sun’s magnetic poles’ flipping occurs. Large numbers of sunspots appear, and the sun’s irradiance increases by 0.07%. There are solar storms with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) spewing enormous amounts of plasma and extending magnetic fields far into space, including at the Earth.

CMEs take 15-18 hours to reach us. They vary in speed from 250 kilometers per second (km/s) to nearly 3,000 km/s. In comparison, the fastest manmade object was the Parker Solar Probe, which reached speeds of a sluggish 147.5 km/s. Putting that into context, the maximum speed limit on an Interstate Highway in the USA is 0.033 km/s.

When these high-speed energized particles slam into our planet’s upper atmosphere, they are deflected by our magnetic poles. They then interact with the molecules of mainly oxygen in our upper atmosphere. Consequently, those impacted molecules produce energy that they release as photons, i.e. light.

What Causes the Different Colors in an Aurora?

When hitting the oxygen molecules at altitudes of around 60 to 190 miles (100 to 300 km) up, the aurora produces green light. Less frequent are red auroras as those are associated with more intense solar activity. They happen when scarcer oxygen molecules at higher altitudes, 180 to 250 miles (300 to 400 km), are excited by the solar radiation.

You may get blue and purple auroras if there is even more intense solar activity. Even more rare, they happen when the solar radiation penetrates to 60 miles or less. Sometimes, all those colors may mix and you will see pink and yellow auroras.

Don’t worry about that talk of radiation and high-energy particles. You are quite safe, protected by our atmosphere. However, solar storms can play havoc with artificial satellites. If you lose your GPS signal or your satellite TV at night, take a look at the sky. There may be an aurora.

How Do We Predict an Aurora?

Like on Earth, solar weather is somewhat unpredictable. The 11-year cycle was supposed to peak in 2025. Scientists are now predicting it to reach its zenith next year. However, we are getting some great displays already.

Astronomers are constantly monitoring the sun and know if there is a solar flare sending plasma our way. Consequently, news sites often mention beforehand that it is going to happen. However, I rely on an app called AuroraWatch UK. There are plenty more that you will find if you search your Play Store or App Store.

Often, if you see an aurora, there will be another seven days later. I have no idea why.

Where Can You See the Auroras and What Do They Look Like?

The nearer you are to the Earth’s poles, the more likely you are to see the aurora.

Here, in the North of England, above the 55-degree parallel, we occasionally see them. I live just about on the same latitude as Pikwitonei in Manitoba – a place so remote that the Google Street View car hasn’t been there, but it looks like a fantastic place to avoid light pollution and see them even better. The aurora isn’t very bright, so escaping from the city will help you see it. Even moonlight can hide it from view.

The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) are impressive to observe. However, you won’t necessarily see the colors. Our eyes’ retinas detect light and comprise rods and cones. Cones detect color and don’t work well in low light. Therefore, the aurora is likely to appear as white light in the sky.

If you can see color, it is most likely going to be green. That’s because of the three primary colors: red, green, and blue. We have as many green-detecting cones as red and blue added together. That’s why those color proportions are used in the Bayer pattern of camera sensors; they mimic our retinas.

Our camera sensors can collect more light if the shutter is left open. Also, the objective lenses of our cameras are far larger than our eyes’ pupils. Therefore, they gather a greater amount of light too. This is why astronomers favor telescopes with large objective lenses over more powerful magnifications.

How to Set Your Camera to Photograph the Aurora

You will need a tripod to keep the camera steady. If your camera or lens has in-built image stabilization, the usual advice is to turn that off when on a tripod, although on my camera, I never find it necessary and leave it on auto. It’s also a good idea to use a remote trigger or set the self-timer and use the camera in silent mode (the electronic shutter) to prevent any camera movement.

Choosing and Setting the Lens

Ideally, you want a fast lens set with its widest aperture. It should have the biggest objective lens possible. I used the OM System M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens, shooting wide open at 12mm. My M.Zuiko 7-14mm F/2.8 PRO lens would have sufficed equally well. A short f/1.4 prime lens would have been even better.

Where to Focus

As with everything in photography, there is a compromise to be made. That wide aperture means a shallower depth of field. Therefore, the closest hyperfocal distance, the point at which you get the maximum field of sharpness is further away than it would be with a small aperture.  So, if you want to combine foreground interest with the aurora, your focus point mustn’t be too close to your camera or the aurora and the stars will be unsharp, unless you employ focus stacking, that is.

Conversely, if you are using a wide angle lens, that gives you more depth of field, which works to your benefit.

An app like PhotoPills will help you to calculate the hyperfocal distance. You can, of course, focus beyond that distance, and even on the aurora or stars, but more of the foreground will be blurred as a result.

I generally use manual focus, relying on the focus assistance that highlights the in-focus area. When it’s very dark, I use a torch to illuminate something at or beyond the hyperfocal distance.

Setting the Shutter Speed and ISO

The aurora moves. Fortunately, it does not appear to be moving that quickly where I am because I am farther south. So, a shutter speed of 8-10 seconds using a wide angle lens gives me a good resolution of it. If you are closer to the aurora, i.e. closer to one of the Earth’s poles, it will appear to be moving faster. Therefore, you may need a faster shutter. Fortunately, it will also be brighter too.

Either way, the shutter and aperture combination may not be enough to expose the image correctly, so increasing the ISO may be necessary.

This highlights the importance of reducing ambient light, which can overexpose all or parts of your picture. As I mentioned, a moonless night and shooting well away from streetlights is ideal.

Also, it’s worth noting that if your shutter is open for too long then stars in your picture will start to elongate because of the rotation of the earth, although you probably won’t have to worry about it.

As a rule of thumb, you can apply the 500 rule to ensure stars remain as points and not lines in your photo. For a 35mm sensor camera, divide 500 by the focal length of the lens. So, for a 25mm lens, you would have a maximum exposure of 20 seconds. That may be too long for shooting the aurora anyway and you will want a shorter shutter speed to stop movement blur.

With a Micro Four Thirds camera using a 25mm lens, you would halve that time to 10 seconds. That would be about the right shutter length for me to capture the aurora, anyway, although I used a 12mm focal length, so in theory, I can have the shutter open for over 20 seconds without elongating the stars. But, that is far longer than I would want for the aurora because it would show movement blur.

Of course, increasing the ISO will increase noise, especially with longer exposures. Fortunately, newer sensor technology in contemporary digital cameras helps keep noise levels to a minimum, and modern noise reduction such as those found in DxO PhotoLab, ON1, Topaz AI, and Lightroom is incredible for giving clean sharp images.

How About Developing the Images?

This comes back to where I started. The sensor has collected a lot of raw data, that is, if you are shooting raw, and I advise that you do. That data, when it is turned into a picture you can view in your camera, has been processed. The clever technicians behind your camera’s software decide what your picture should look like. However, the technicians who work for your camera company are not the same as the people who work for Adobe, nor are they the same people who work for DxO, Capture One, ON1, and so forth. They will all interpret your photo differently.

Which of them is right?

All of them and none of them are. Similarly, if you want to adjust the photo to appear how you want it to be, it’s entirely up to you. If you want to increase the saturation of the colors or turn it to black and white, or if you want to rely on those camera technicians’ interpretation of reality, it’s entirely up to you. Any variation of how the raw data is displayed is equally valid. Develop it how you like. Anyone who criticizes your choice – and I have seen some ill-natured criticisms about others’ photos on Facebook – then they are just showing their own lack of understanding. 

If someone else likes it, great. If they don’t, then that’s only their subjective viewpoint being different from yours. What is invalid is saying that your interpretation of the raw data is wrong, unless they accept that every other photo is equally wrong.

Personally, I find the nighttime landscape and aurora images straight out of all cameras look too flat for my taste. Therefore, some adjustments, especially to the tonal contrasts, are needed. I also increase the brightness of shadows in the foreground and reduce the brightness of the highlights. Then, I like to increase the brightness (not the saturation) of the aurora’s colors to make them stand out. Nighttime photos can also stand a lot more mid-tone contrast than daytime shots.

Hi there! My name is Aletheia Sandley, and I’m a photographer here at Ram Page, which should be a pretty good indicator that I’m not much of a writer, but regardless, it never hurts to do a little writing from time to time. Despite how funny and honestly ridiculous the story may seem, a “surprise” led me to ASU.

 Angelo State wasn’t my first choice. This is due in part to the fact that my brother also attends ASU, and I wasn’t too keen on following him. I very much wanted to be my own person and do something different than what my brother was doing. So I of course applied, but kept my options open, applying to several other colleges, most notably ones that were closer to home. As I started narrowing down my options, it ended up being the two schools that were closest. Then an intrusive thought and a snack changed all that.

I bought myself a Kinder Surprise Egg, uncharacteristically, and waited until I got home to open it and see what toy I had gotten. Wouldn’t you know, there was a tiny little ram inside the egg. That very same toy now sits in my dorm window. To put it simply, I had let a Kinder Egg pick which school I was going to. The egg chose my fate. Funnily enough, my favorite colors are blue and yellow.

As for how I found the Ram Page, my entire family had always been on the more creative side, and I was always encouraged to pursue my interests in the arts, particularly painting and most notably photography. As I got older I went through a lot of hobbies, but the only thing that has stuck has been my passion for the arts. I wanted to avoid having to go back into the customer service industry, which brought me to look for a job I could do on campus. This was of course ideal because of scheduling and I would also be more likely to get a job that would be of a genuine interest to me. 

With my brother having already attended ASU for two years, he of course felt the need to chime in, he had an idea for a job that he thought would be of interest to me. He had mentioned to me that there was a job opening at the Ram Page for a photographer. This was exciting news for me as I had always wanted to pursue photography as a potential career. This was an opportunity to put my skills to actual use, something more than the occasional recreational photoshoot.

In terms of my actual career plans for the future, I can’t say they resemble what my current job choice is. As of the moment that I am writing this, I’m a kinesiology major. Which I’ll go ahead and define for the vast majority of people who don’t know what that is. 

Kinesiology, to put it simply, is the general study of human movement and exercise. It covers a broad range of sub-disciplines, including biomechanics, exercise science and performing arts. Like anyone majoring in kinesiology, I already have my mind mostly set on what I intend to do with the degree, though my indecisiveness might change that.

My personal career goals are to eventually be a coach and athletic trainer at the collegiate level. Unlike most, I have no intention of rushing this process, I want to experience every little bit of the career choice. If I’m going to be doing the same thing for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that it’s the right thing for me and that I experience the full spectrum of it. I’m one of those weird people that actually likes to learn new things and the process of learning about them, as well.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – A magazine known for its award-winning photography is seeking to honor the best of pictures of Nebraska wildlife, scenery and outdoor recreation.

Nebraskaland Magazine will begin accepting submissions for its 2023 photography contest on Sunday.

The annual contest honors the best photographs of Nebraska wildlife, outdoor activities and landscapes in the Cornhusker State.

Winning photos will be published in the January/February 2024 issue of Nebraskaland Magazine, a publication of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Entries should be posted via Instagram using the hashtag #Nebraskaland2023. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Central time Oct. 28. Contestants must make sure their Instagram account is “public” so judges can view the entries.

There are four categories:

• Wildlife — wild mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish
• Scenic — in which landmarks, scenery or inanimate objects are prominent
• Recreation — people enjoying the outdoors through hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, skiing or other outdoor activities (no traditional sports images will be accepted)
• Macro — native wildflowers, foliage, fruiting bodies or other parts of plants and the creepy crawly creatures that inhabit them

All photos must be taken in Nebraska.

New this year: entrants are limited to a maximum of six image submissions, and images’ colors and composition must appear as they did when photographed.

Find the complete contest rules at Magazine.OutdoorNebraska.gov/PhotoContest.

Copyright 2023 KOLN. All rights reserved.

If scrolling through social media to see pictures of cute dogs and hilarious cats is a favorite pastime of yours, then this new exhibit at Fotografiska is a must-see. Titled “Best in Show,” the exhibition explores the role of furry and feathered friends in our culture through more than 100 incredible photographs. 

Photos show dogs in a variety of situations, like getting baths, posing, partying, shaking their heads and even dressing up in fancy “cones of shame.” Cats, rats, bunnies, birds, reptiles, turtles and fish get their moment in the spotlight, too, at this exhibition on view in the Flatiron District through January 2024. 

RECOMMENDED: The best museum exhibitions in NYC right now

The show showcases works by 25 renowned photographers. That includes William Wegman’s famed Weimaraner portraits, pictures by Sophie Gamand of dogs taking baths and images by the world’s first professional cat photographer Walter Chandoha. From candid photos of pets at home to posh portraits of pups at the Westminster Dog Show, each image explores the unbreakable bond between humans and their pets.

In addition to photography, several videos capture pets in motion. One takes viewers up close and personal as dogs and cats shake their heads sending their glorious tufts of fur from side to side. Another presents footage of pastel-colored birds gracefully landing on a tree branch. 

Gerrard Gethings’ section of photographs depicts pets who look uncannily similar to their owners. For example, there’s a man with a puffy white beard posed next to his fluffy white cat, then a man with gleaming Fabio-style locks photographed next to his dog with a very similar hairdo.

It presents a much-needed moment of levity before the next section, which explains how dogs in Spain are often abandoned or killed after hunting season ends. These photos by Martin Usborne underscore the deeper message of the exhibit: Animals depend on us to help them. 

Every year, 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized in America, according to the ASPCA. Helping reduce that number has become an important mission for actress Katherine Heigl of Grey’s Anatomy fame.

With her mother, Heigl founded The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation to end animal cruelty and abuse. A dollar from every ticket sold at the Fotografiska exhibition will go toward the foundation.

“For every well-loved and celebrated animal that you see in this exhibit today and for every beloved pet in our homes, there are hundreds and thousands of others languishing in our shelters across our country waiting for help and running out of time,” Heigl said at an opening event for the show. “And we can help and we must help for they are the voiceless and the innocent.”

For every well loved and celebrated animal that you see in this exhibit … there are hundreds and thousands of others languishing in our shelters across our country waiting for help and running out of time.

Heigl also founded Badlands Ranch, a dog food company, which is sponsoring “Best in Show.”

The “Best in Show” exhibit spans two floors of Fotografiska; paw print stickers on the floor help with guidance. In addition to photography and video, there’s a multimedia installation, faux fur on some walls and even a Jeff Koons “Balloon Dog” sculpture. 

Some of the photos will make you laugh, some will make you sad, and some will make you want to go home and cuddle your pet. And if you don’t have a pet, be sure to adopt from our local shelters in NYC. 

“Photographers have been turning their lenses on animals since the beginnings of the medium,” Fotografiska New York’s Executive Director Sophie Wright said. “Of course, ‘Best in Show’ is meant to be fun. We want it to delight and entertain and bring smiles to your faces.”

To complement the exhibit, Fotografiska is hosting several special events, including pet portraiture sessions where you can bring your own pet for a photo with a pro. Several Yappy Hour dog adoption pop-ups are also coming up, to be held at Madison Square Park. On October 15, go on a museum-wide scavenger hunt with Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl Referee Dan Schachner. 

“Best in Show: Pets in Contemporary Photography” is on view now at Fotografiska, a photography museum in the Flatiron District, through January 2024. The museum is open Sunday-Wedsnesday 9am-9pm; Thursday-Saturday 9am-11pm. Tickets cost $30 adult, $20 senior/student/military/veteran.

Winter photography can be a magical yet challenging experience due to the conditions that come with cold weather, snow, sleet, high winds, and limited daylight. As photographers, we can prepare for this in advance to ensure we’re insulated and dry enough to keep out the elements that this season throws at us, but what about our equipment?

Is your gear ready for sub-zero temperatures, freezing rain, and long periods of hourly changeable weather conditions that never quite reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit? It can change very quickly from a sub-zero overcast day to a howling freezing near-blizzard in a matter of minutes. “Blizzard” might be a little over dramatic in the case below but you get the idea.

Can Your Camera Cope With These Conditions?

Interestingly, most cameras can push beyond what the manufacturers recommend, although I’d be the first to say don’t try it, as you know they are tested to their extremes, and working recommendations are in place for that reason. Not all cameras are the same, however, so which ones would be best suited for winter conditions? I’ve photographed with a Nikon D850 with at 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and in colder conditions with a wind chill. The Nikon Z7 II and the Fujifilm X-T5 I’ve photographed with at 17 degrees Fahrenheit, but not any colder as yet. The camera is not the only consideration to make, however; Can your lenses hold up to these conditions? What specifications do they need to have as well? You also need to think about that. 

What’s the Spec?

As I mentioned, I’ve successfully used the Nikon D850, Z7 II, and Fujifilm X-T5 in sub-zero conditions and they performed with no problems at all. I did keep the batteries close to me for body heat when not using them and perhaps they did run down slightly faster than normal, but I couldn’t say for sure as normally I gave up before them. Either that or I’d seek out somewhere warmer before heading back out again.

So what cameras can hold up to what the winter conditions can throw at you? Here’s a list of five, in no particular order, that are designed to work in conditions like these and I would love to hear in the comments other cameras, tried and tested by you, that can add to the list.

Nikon D850

• Official operating Temperatures: 32 to 104F
• Operating Humidity Range: 85% or less 
• Weather Sealing: Yes
• Megapixel count: 45.7
• Format: Full Frame
• Weight: 1005g

Fuji X-T5

• Official operating Temperatures: 14 to 105F 
• Operating Humidity Range: 10 – 80%
• Weather Sealing: Yes
• Megapixel count: 40.2
• Format: APS-C
• Weight: 557g (including battery and memory card)

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

• Official operating Temperatures: 32 to 104F
• Operating Humidity Range: 85% or less humidity
• Weather Sealing: Yes
• Megapixel count: 30.4
• Format: Full Frame
• Weight: 890g

Sony A9

• Official operating Temperatures: 32 to 104F
• Operating Humidity Range: 85% or less humidity
• Weather Sealing: Yes
• Megapixel count: 24.2
• Format: Full Frame
• Weight: 588g

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

• Official operating Temperatures: 14 to 104F
• Operating Humidity Range: 30-90% 
• Weather Sealing: Yes
• Megapixel count: 4/3
• Format: Full Frame
• Weight: 504g

All Things Considered

The points mentioned above don’t include the entire specifications of the cameras, but do include the important information that you should consider when working in winter conditions. Weather and dust sealing is an essential feature for these harsher conditions and these seals provide that extra layer of protection, safeguarding against the elements and ensuring your camera functions reliably even in extreme cold, freezing rain, and snow. I’m not saying leave them out in it as I also use a rain cover or cheap shower cap to cover the gear once set up on the tripod. But these seals in sub-zero temperatures help prevent moisture from entering the camera body which can lead to condensation and potential damage to its internal components.

Depending on the temperatures, I often use hand warmers wrapped around the lenses for longer shoots, such as timelapses. Apart from ensuring the lens operates efficiently, this also provides an extra layer of protection from the elements.

Reacclimatizing

I have a ritualistic approach to reacclimatizing my gear to a warmer environment. Doing this will ensure you prevent potential damage to your equipment, even if weather-sealed when transitioning from a cold to a warmer environment, as these sudden temperature changes can have a detrimental effect on your gear. My bag already contains many silica gels that I gather up when I get a delivery of something which I leave in the bag all year round. This takes care of any changes in moisture levels in humid or cold environments.

The steps I take when reacclimatising:

1. The camera bag — still closed — is wiped down to remove any of the elements and left in the room for a few hours.
2. After a few hours, I’ll open up the bag and again just leave it for about half an hour.
3. I’ll then take the camera and lenses out of the bag, wipe them down (lens cap still on), and leave them on a surface for around another hour.
4.  Finally, I’ll give them another wipe-down and then remove the SD cards ready to be uploaded.

This may be totally unnecessary with regard to timescales, and in some cases not possible depending on what you are working on, but this is my usual ritual. During this time I can take a warm shower, get a hot cuppa, and just relax. I don’t need to see the images straight away, I’ve already experienced the conditions, and with luck, got the images I was after.

So with winter conditions on the horizon, embracing the cold can open up so many artistic possibilities. The serenity of snow-covered landscapes, the low arc of the winter sun, and the play of light on frosty surfaces, all create a dream canvas for your photography. While these can at times be challenging conditions, demanding extra effort on your part and that of your equipment, the resulting images can definitely be bountiful. Ensure you are up to it and wrapped up to the hilt, but also ensure your gear is up the the challenge of what you are going to be putting it through to get the shots.

Consider the Gear

Some of the cameras mentioned here have a hefty price tag so have you ever considered purchasing used? MPB.com is a leading marketplace for buying and selling your gear and offers a wide range of cameras, lenses, and photography accessories. With a reputation for reliability and quality, they have become a trusted online destination for both amateur and professional photographers looking to exchange and upgrade their gear.

MPB has an extensive list of available items spanning cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, and camera bags; there is something for everyone and every budget. Everything is quality-checked and graded, providing detailed descriptions of the items shown enabling you to make informed choices. The image shown of the equipment is the actual piece you would receive and not a stock image. I’ve personally used them for many years to trade in or purchase gear and each transaction has been quick and smooth, with great customer service and an honest appraisal and quote for the equipment I’ve traded to them. So if you are considering upgrading or changing your kit entirely they are definitely worth checking out.