Brilliant Pics of the Aurora Borealis

[Crane's]

Originally Posted by LittleHorn

Since an AB photo is one with a relatively high subject brightness range (SBR) -the brightness of the lights compared to the darkness of the sky- than the photographer should go with a spot metering of the AB. That way the photographer can get the proper exposure that their looking for in regards to the AB. Spot metering is an underused technique, but once you understand it, and can implement it. Your photos exposures will be noticeably better.

Basically the photographer probably spot metered to get the brilliant contrast between AB and night sky.

There are too many discrepancies in these photos to be just spot metered. The stars show tracing and the clouds are showing movement. The more I look at these the more I think they are HDR composite images.

 

[AJB]

I went to Iceland in October. When I was there I saw the aurora and it was incredible - lucky enough to meet a photographer with a better camera than mine who could capture it and this is his flickr site - I was there for the one titled Seltjörn - amazing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyjovil...7624775519528/


his link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyjovil...7624775519528/

Enjoy

 

[LittleHorn]

Originally Posted by Crane's

There are too many discrepancies in these photos to be just spot metered. The stars show tracing and the clouds are showing movement. The more I look at these the more I think they are HDR composite images.

Ahh HDR. Yeah probably. The tracing and movement have nothing to do with the spot metering. The long exposure would cause that.

 

[Crane's]

Originally Posted by LittleHorn

Ahh HDR. Yeah probably. The tracing and movement have nothing to do with the spot metering. The long exposure would cause that.

Went looking through EXIF data on a few Aurora pics that look similar to the ones linked above. f2.8, shutter from 5 to 22 seconds and ISO 1600. That explains the HDR look.

 

[LittleHorn]

An aperture that wide and an exposure that long will do it.

 

[Davidko19]

Originally Posted by AJB

I went to Iceland in October. When I was there I saw the aurora and it was incredible - lucky enough to meet a photographer with a better camera than mine who could capture it and this is his flickr site - I was there for the one titled Seltjörn - amazing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyjovil...7624775519528/


his link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyjovil...7624775519528/

Enjoy

badass!

so on tv they always show them moving fast and whipping around - is that how it really is or does it move slow and they just time lapse it?

 

[Big T]

Dayam, looked too quick! thought there were going to be pictures of areola's.

 

[gort]

What I need is a big 3-display wallpaper of some of this for my computer.

 

[TM79]

Originally Posted by Douglas

what are the exposure times on these images? having never seen the AB, I am suspicious that very long exposures are making these look more intense than reality.

You're right. I'm sure it's completely lame and not worth you looking up into the sky to see it...

Some things just are never good enough for people.

 

[ysb]

Aurora Boreanaz

 

[janinvan]

Awwwe so pretty. I haven't seen an Aurora in like 10 years or something. I had a friend from the Yukon who was so blase about it. I still think it's magic.

 

[AJB]

They kind of shimmer in and out - not whipping around but they can appear and dissappear quickly - like bands of color passing over your head

 

[willpower]

A must-see time lapse.

 

[StephenHero]

That almost looks so fake it's hard to contextualize as something real.

 

[gungadin25]

Wowza