Like so many people, I ventured out on October 10th of this year to see if I could photograph the Northern Lights. I adjusted my camera settings to what I thought would work for the purpose of capturing this beautiful phenomenon, packed everything I figured I would need into my car, and headed to a spot I was sure would provide me with dark skies and a clear line to the horizon in the north. While I did come home with some images that were okay, what was more important were the lessons I learned from the experience.
Lesson 1: Double check your settings
This step is especially important when the circumstances you will be working under are likely to make adjusting your settings difficult such as darkness, fast moving subjects, or chaotic surroundings. While I thought I had set everything up prior to heading out, what I discovered upon reviewing my images was that the aperture was not at the highest setting for the lens I was using so I was not getting the most out of my lens’ light gathering capacity. You can see in the image below that bringing in more light would definitely have helped create a better image.
Lesson 2: Review your work in the field
It is very important to check your images on the back of your camera (unless you are shooting film) to be sure they are sharp, well exposed, and the composition you have chosen conveys the story you have in mind. The image below was the first one I took that night. I did check to be sure I had gotten something, but I didn’t pay enough attention to the settings I was using (see lesson 1) and didn’t realize that both a larger aperture and a longer shutter speed would have helped bring out the beauty of the aurora. A couple of minor adjustments could have resulted in much better images.
Lesson 3: Sometimes cameras can help us see beauty we would otherwise miss
At the time and location I was out taking these pictures, the aurora was not visible to the naked eye. If it were not for my camera and the help of long exposures, I would not have been able to see the lights at all. The same is true with other styles and techniques such as macro, ICM, and multiple exposures as well.
In fairness, these were all lessons I was familiar with already but this particular outing helped to remind me that shortcuts rarely yield the best results. So whether in life or in photography be sure to slow down, pay attention to the details, and don’t take anything for granted.