Arctic Fireworks – Northern Lights Over Norway
This photograph captures the Northern Lights dancing across the Arctic sky over the Norwegian coastline. The image was taken from the deck of a Hurtigruten ship, adding an extra challenge to the already tricky task of photographing auroras. The constant motion of the ship meant that even with a wide-open aperture, only a very short exposure time was possible to keep the stars relatively sharp. This, in turn, required a high ISO setting, which resulted in significant noise. Thankfully, Lightroom’s Denoise function managed to salvage the image without losing too much detail.
The short exposure time had one unexpected advantage: it preserved the fine, fast-moving structures of the aurora exceptionally well. Longer exposures often blend these delicate ribbons into a blurry glow, but here, you can see every wisp and streak in sharp clarity.
As for the aurora itself—this breathtaking light show is the result of charged particles from the sun colliding with Earth's atmosphere. These particles excite oxygen and nitrogen molecules high above us, causing them to glow in different colors. Essentially, it's a cosmic-scale neon sign, courtesy of the solar wind and our planet's magnetic field.
Capturing this kind of image is a mix of skill, luck, and a willingness to embrace the cold. But when the lights explode across the sky like this, every frozen fingertip and blurry shot along the way is absolutely worth it.
Arctic Fireworks – Northern Lights Over Norway
This photograph captures the Northern Lights dancing across the Arctic sky over the Norwegian coastline. The image was taken from the deck of a Hurtigruten ship, adding an extra challenge to the already tricky task of photographing auroras. The constant motion of the ship meant that even with a wide-open aperture, only a very short exposure time was possible to keep the stars relatively sharp. This, in turn, required a high ISO setting, which resulted in significant noise. Thankfully, Lightroom’s Denoise function managed to salvage the image without losing too much detail.
The short exposure time had one unexpected advantage: it preserved the fine, fast-moving structures of the aurora exceptionally well. Longer exposures often blend these delicate ribbons into a blurry glow, but here, you can see every wisp and streak in sharp clarity.
As for the aurora itself—this breathtaking light show is the result of charged particles from the sun colliding with Earth's atmosphere. These particles excite oxygen and nitrogen molecules high above us, causing them to glow in different colors. Essentially, it's a cosmic-scale neon sign, courtesy of the solar wind and our planet's magnetic field.
Capturing this kind of image is a mix of skill, luck, and a willingness to embrace the cold. But when the lights explode across the sky like this, every frozen fingertip and blurry shot along the way is absolutely worth it.