Northern Lights

Last night the activity on my Facebook picked up with posts from an online group that the Northern Lights should be out.  At the same time a message from a friend came asking me if I was going out shooting and five minutes later, we were out of the house.  At first there was a little cloud cover and not wanting to waste a perfect evening we had a little fun with the pump jacks.

As the clouds moved on, the lights finally began to show themselves.

Thanks for visiting.

Northern Lights at the Farm

During the past two years while photographing the Northern Lights, I often thought about what it would be like to see the lights while visiting the farm.  The farm belongs to my brother-in-law and his wonderful wife, my sister.  We spend a few weekends there each November which can be prime Northern Lights season.  Chances of being there on a weekend, with the lights and clear skies can be slim, but last weekend it all came together.  The white snow reflected the yard light and with the near full moon and long exposures the scenes looked like they were taken in daylight.

Their beautiful red barn was the perfect fit with the lights.

Open pasture provided a clear opening to the skies.

It really was a cold and nasty night but I didn't have to wonder off too far for fantastic views of the farm and the Northern Lights

I did take a little walk down to the barn where a couple of horses came to greet me.  Trying to get them to pose still for a 20 second exposure was difficult but we almost got it right after a few tries.

 

Northern Lights November 13, 2012

There is an advantage to living in Alberta with our snow and early darkness.  Tonight while making supper, my husband came into the house and told me the Northern Lights were out.  I checked the Aurora site and the percentage was only at 22%.  Further checking on the internet really didn't show anything spectacular so I went outside to take a look for myself.  Saw the lights in the sky and thought it wouldn't last long so went back into the house for supper and a little TV.  When we were finished supper the lights were still in the sky so we took a quick trip down to the lake.  This is the same lake I got the truck stuck in a few years ago so my husband told me I'd have to walk in.  Bundled up and ready for some exercise, off we went.

This is the view I saw when I stepped out of the truck.




Took a few steps towards the fence line.




Turned the camera a little eastward and caught a trail someone was brave enough to drive down.




I turned facing North as the lights began to appear down the trail to the lake.




And a few more steps.




Finally to the edge of the bush looking out towards the lake. Here you can see the clouds staring to move in.



Not wanting to walk to far in the cold, I found a very different view than I usually see.  The long exposures of 20 - 25 seconds have lit up the snow like daylight, but it was actually very dark outside.  Kind of thankful my husband made me walk tonight.

April 17th Aurora Borealis

These were taken last night when the Aurora Borealis unexpectedly appeared in the skies.  My email alerts haven't been working lately, so it was a case of going outside at the right time. When I saw the lights through our trees, I too quickly jumped in the car and headed a few miles from the house.  In my haste I forgot mittens, a hat and most importantly, my flashlight.  Without the flashlight, I didn't venture through the mud too far.  It's quite amazing the sounds you can hear when you're alone on a dark road.  Needless to say I didn't stay out too long, but did manage to get a couple of shots.  The orange glow is the lights of Edmonton, 20 miles away.

 

    

Northern Lights March 12th

Monday morning at 5:30 am we had an incredible display of Northern Lights lasting for about 45 minutes.  Instead of the lights appearing from the north as they usually do, they appeared from above. The lights were so high in the sky, I didn't have to leave the yard to escape the trees. Every direction you looked the lights came down with changing colors.

The is the view looking straight up

Looking west, towards the city, the light pollution from Edmonton changed the colors.

This was the view from the road looking towards the east

For a few minutes the lights appeared a magenta color, even to the eye.

This was the view from the deck, looking northwest.

And to be able to remember this morning and shooting from the deck, I thought I would include a bit of the house.

Northern Lights

For a brief hour last night, the Aurora Borealis aka Northern Lights presented a fabulous light show.  The colours were getting more intense as time went by, then a beautiful, almost full moon came out and lit up the skies light a sunrise.  It was a brief time out last night, but one of the nicest displays of lights I seen in a while.

The scene when we first arrived at the lake.

Looking toward the airport to get a little light pollution. Didn't notice the airplane and snowmobile when I took the photo.

A few minutes later, the lights began to dance.

Tried a landscape with a portrait perspective, throwing all rules of photography out the window.

An hour after arriving, the moon was out and the lights couldn't be seen with the eye, but the camera picked up a little color.