Tips For Capturing The Northern Lights

[auen1]

Where I live in Alaska, the northern light are out all the time.
I want to practice, getting good shots and videos of them.

I like flying at night anyway, because regular air traffic is almost non-existent.
The ATC here doesn't seem to have a problem with my night flights either.
I always call them before I fly.

So far, I am having limited success.
I got a couple of photos last night, but not great shots.
The videos were a failure, just black sky.

I need some tips to get the best videos and photos.

Thanks!

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The N. lights were not very bright last night, but at least out to practice on.

I took these photos with the camera setting at 100 or 200 ISO w/ shutter at 8/sec.
I think 8 second exposure is to long, the phantom just is not stable enough.

 

[auen1]

Feel free to post your aurora photo's here.
There is a nice site that predicts when and where the aurora will happen.
I'm right on the edge tonight.
Aurora Forecast | Geophysical Institute

 

[Cobs]

I would try to record it away from a brightly lit built up area, light pollution and all that ruins it, go a couple of miles away from any lit area, a drones camera probably isnt the best solution as you cant look up very well.

 

[auen1]

Ya, I need to find the best place to fly to avoid light pollution.
Over the ocean might be my closest bet.
The best aurora usually happens about 3-4am around here.

 

[Cobs]

Up on some hills in the blackness of a moonless night would be best i think, maybe even have your town in the distance so you can see the lights from it and the aurora above it and more darkness around the scene, ive never seen them myself as yet.

 

[auen1]

I found a few links, to help taking stills of the aurora.
How to Photograph the Aurora

The Canadian Nature Photographer - Photographing the Aurora Borealis with your digital Camera

Spoiler: Links

Aurora Links

• Space weather - sunspot activity, auroral forecasts and photos - sign up to be alerted
• Space weather Canada - Aurora forecast across the country
• Space weather prediction NOAA
• Michigan Tech Aurora site
• Aurora from outer space NASA
• Real time aurora - satellite images
• Solar activity monitor - sunspots
• Alaska Geophysical institute - current aurora forecast
• Solar wind data - updated every 10 minutes
• Astronomy North in Yellowknife - Aurora forecast
• NASA - solar cycle 24 begins
• Solar Terrestrial Dispatch - private owned space weather forecast $30 US\year to subscribe Auroa forecast
• SOHO NASA - Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
• World Data for sunspot Index
• Journal of Space weather and Climate
• Space Weather Online Educational Course $350 US by Solar Terrestrial Dispatch in Stirling, AB
• Spacew.com image gallery
• Black Aurora research T.S Trondsen Univ. Calgary

Other Aurora Photography sites

• How to Photograph the Aurora with a Digital Camera
• Todd Salat - Alaskan Aurora photographer good tips and beautiful photos
• Jan Curtis - lots of links and photos about the aurora
• Jeff Hapeman - aurora photos at pbase.com
• **** Hutchison - shooting the aurora on film
• Aurora links - lots of them!
• How to photograph the Aurora with your digital camera
• Aurora research at the University of Calgary
• Aurora watch and research University of Alberta
• Photographing the Aurora - Sky and Telescope
• Roy Hooper - Photographing the Aurora with your digital camera
• Outdoor eyes - Photographing the Aurora
• Weatherscapes.com - photographing the Aurora
• How to Find and photograph the Aurora by Chirs VenHaus

I have yet not found any good tips for taking videos.
I guess it's hard.
My gf's Sony RX100 got them, tho.
Set on auto.

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[Cobs]

Try taking a photo every second or so and have the GoPro Studio (free) or similar compile them into a movie, you need to record from somewhere dark to get rid of that light pollution, it might not look so pixellated then, still ... its nice to see it.