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

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.

Nuking a CD

After reading a blog posting by Fotomom about Rainbows I was intrigued by the idea of placing a CD in the microwave.  Not sure if I should put it on a paper plate or a glass plate I opted for the glass plate.  If you try this make sure to use an old plate as I don't think the burn marks are going to come off.  We've all done photos of the light refracting on a CD and placed the water drop to catch the rainbow, but this does have a new and interesting effect. The cracking of the interior of the CD, I guess this would be gaps in the data, produce beautiful lines almost like a spiderweb.

This first photo was taken with a 24-70 lens and the light was produced with a little Ikea desk lamp.

In Photoshop, the Oilpaint option from Pixel Bender was added

Lastly, the Poster Edges filter was added

I then added a few little drops of glycerin and changed to my 105mm Macro Lens.

Added the Oilpaint option from Pixel Bender

And finished off with Poster Edges in Photoshop

Christmas Luminaire

Thanks to my daughter and her Christmas decorating ideas I decided to make ice Luminaires for our deck railing  to light up on Christmas evening.  The idea was to place them in the snow that accumulates on the railing, but with the lack of snow I have to shovel the grass and place the snow on the deck.  First time I've ever shoveled the grass, but it was fun and I'll be trying it again next year with a few modifications.