Hi! I am a Norwegian 54 old man and I’ve been living all my life in the northern parts of the country, above the arctic circle.
I’ve been told I am one of the best Aurora shooters but I don’t agree to that, though… But I don’t know anybody else that is committed to this kind of photography as I am.
How I Got Started
Before I got ill, and on a disability pension, I was working as a technical engineer in one of Norway’s biggest hospitals. So what used to be a dear hobby, has now become more like my daily routine…
I bought my first SLR in 1979, at the age of 16. It was a Minolta with a 50mm lens. Later, I bought a lesser known brand, a Petri with several lenses. Then, after a few years with small, compact cameras, I bought a Nikon D60. This was in 2008. A friend of mine asked me to join him one night trying to shoot the northern lights.
Well – from then on, I was hooked!
More of About My Gear
I soon realized the D60 wasn’t capable for night photography, so I bought a D90 a few months later. By then, I had several new photo friends, and around 90% of them used Canon gear. Then I decided to switch to Canon, and bought a 7D so I could borrow lenses and equipment from my friends.
I used this camera for several years, and I realized that photography played a bigger role in my life, as I saw my working career ending. So, from my last payment from the hospital, I bought both the Canon 5D mk3, and the new 16-35 mm lens that was just released. Now, I have sold the Canon 16-35 lens, and I use only a Nikon 14-24 (with a Novoflex adapter-ring) for my night photography.
Just last June, I also bought a Tamron 15-30 mm lens as a backup when I sold the Canon 16-35. I haven’t tried it yet for night photography, as by this time of year we get midnight sun. From May to July, the sun is above the horizon 24/7, so there are no nights at all. You can vaguely see the moon late at night when the sun is low on the horizon.
There are of course a lot of good crop-cameras, but they create a lot of noise at high ISO. I strongly recommend full frame cameras. Other needed equipment is a sturdy tripod, a wide angle lens (preferably with aperture f/2.8 or lighter), and a cable release shutter. You will also need to turn off auto focus and image stabilizer.
Canon has just released the new Canon 1 DX mk2, a few months back. Despite a terrible price, I decided 2 months ago to buy it. And this is a great camera for night photography!
Shooting the Northern Lights
My camera can easily handle ISO 4000. But I prefer to go as low as possible, typically 1600 – 3200 ISO. White balance set to Auto. Set lens wide open, f/2.8 and focus to infinity.
You can either do a full manual exposure or use aperture priority. If the photo gets underexposed, adjust the exponation compensation.
For Canon cameras there is live view, which lifts the mirror, and you can see through the lens. Point the lens onto a distant light source, like a street light a couple of miles away. If there are no light sources, use the brightest star. Then zoom in with live view and do a manual fine adjustment.
A night exposure can last from a second up to 30-40 seconds. The wider the lens are (like 14 mm), the longer you can keep the shutter open without getting “star drag,” but I think it is important to keep it under 25 – 30 seconds, especially if you are doing a panorama. Most wide angle lenses aren’t wide enough to get a great northern lights outburst or the entire Milky Way.
You have to be very precise where you align the tripod and the camera. The tripod has to be precisely levelled. And the tripod head has to allow a smooth sweep from left to right, ( or vice versa). And you have to tilt your camera 90 degrees, and level it with the tripod. A panorama picture typically consist of 7 – 10 single photos. I only use Photoshop for post processing, and most of the time I get it right!
For us, living in the arctic, we’re blessed with the auroras several times a week, weather permitting. The season stretches from September to the end of March. And even at this latitude, the temperature isn’t like the north pole. In my area, close to the coast, it rarely drop below -15°C / 5°F. But I always recommend to overdress. And feet, hands, and head are always exposed. So be aware!
I don’t care too much about time when I am out, so mostly I am out for 4-5 hours. But many times, I’ve been out 10 hours or even more.
Editing Aurora Photographs
The Perfect Aurora Shot?
I am still searching… And soon turning one million photos, I still haven’t nailed it. That is the best about the Aurora shooting. You are never satisfied!
See more of Frank’s work on Facebook and at FAA!
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Frank Olsen
Hello Patrick!
You get a sence of the right wb after almost 1 million(!) photos of the auroras. But if you have some moonlight, and also snow, you can trust the AWB more or less. If you set the WB manually, it will often be around 3400 – 4000 K. But it varies a lot, depending of the strenght of the auroras. I’ve got a Canon 15 mm fisheye. It’s best performance is taking an all sky shot. So, for my panoramas, I use either the Nikon 14-24, or the Tamron 15-30 mm.
https://www.facebook.com/VesteralenPhoto/
jean francois Renard
je regrette de ne pouvoir essayer de faire d’aussi belles photos , mais le cercle artique est un peu trop loin pour moi
bref : bravo mon garçon pour ces très belles photographies
michelle
such amazing photos. I was recently up near James Bay and it was cloudy every night for the 2 weeks I was there — the last night the sky was clear and I got to photograph the lights. I would love to see you do a video on your photo editing.
Cathy Moffett
The thing that comes across strongest in your pictures is your feel for them. The projected feeling comes straight through them. I difficult thing to achieve. I’ve heard people say if you remember a photo, the artist made you feel something. I will remember your photos and keep them with me for inspiration. They give me great pleasure, with a feeling of peace and excitement at the same time.
My passion is the brush burns. I look forward to the every year. They are always different from each other. Love the night burns but don’t see many of them. The smoke is as beautiful as the fire. The smoke reminds me of your Northern Lights. I must see them sometime. An absolute for the bucket list.
Cathy Moffett. moffie100@-AOL.com
Mike D
beautiful skies, do you sell these photos?
Jodi Robbins
Hello Mike!
Yes, all of Frank’s photos are for sale at: http://pixels.com/profiles/frank-olsen
Most of his photos are published on his Facebook photo page with new photos almost everyday: https://www.facebook.com/VesteralenPhoto/
If you see photos on Facebook you want to purchase, let Frank know and he’ll upload them to Pixels.com for you!
Have a great day!
Jodi
Christopher Boles
Wow! Your images of the aurora are some of the best I have ever seen. The balance between the foreground and the aurora make them seem as if I am standing right there. Thank you for the explanation of how you make your images.
patrick LOUMAN
Hello Frank, interesting paper on the auroras. How do you decide of the right balance in post when there is no snow on the image. Is the AWB enough to trust the camera? Last question, what do you think about using a fish eye lens instead of doing panorama with a i.e. a 24mm ?
Again congratulations for your wonders !!
Patrick