Willie Huang Photo
Aether
There is no doubt the Aurora Borealis deserves its place amongst the 7 natural wonders of the world.
Having never lived in northern latitudes seeing and photographing the aurora has been on my bucket list for some time. With the sun cycle at solar max Aaron, Alan, Rebecca, and I decided on a venture out to Iceland in hopes of witnessing the northern phenomenon. I figured a full 10 days in Iceland would give us a solid time window and opportunity to capture it. On our third day the sun delivered. A strong solar wind was predicted to buffet earth with a high probability of auroras.
As we waited out the daylight the anticipation began growing. While waiting for dinner people began running outside as the aurora commenced. I too joined the crowds outside and initially only saw a few whitish cloud-like strands. Just as I headed back in a sudden aurora streak ignited overhead. This time it was so bright I could easily see the green color. Excited and impatient, we all finished our dinner quickly and bolted out to our scouted shooting spots. After spending several hours going back and forth between the Jökulsárlón Iceberg lagoons and road turnouts, we decided to head back to our original spot along a stream as the final stop for the night. As we arrived and exited our cars the aurora suddenly exploded all over the sky. It was to the east, to the west, overhead, and simply dazzling all around. The aurora became so bright it was dancing and whipping around changing shapes. According to NOAA the aurora became a Kp5 sparking a G1 geomagnetic storm.
I made sure to focus on the task at hand and setup for this composition along the stream. I opted getting low to maximize the while still capturing foreground ice patterns along with a subtle reflection in the water. While shooting a bolt of aurora streaked through my frame creating a lightning bolt-like pattern. In the end the aurora streaked across the frame almost mirroring the shape of the mountain range. The experience was totally mesmerizing and it was an experience I shall always remember. This shot was focus stacked with 4 frames at 14mm for optimal sharpness from foreground to background.
Sony A7r
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8
Aether
There is no doubt the Aurora Borealis deserves its place amongst the 7 natural wonders of the world.
Having never lived in northern latitudes seeing and photographing the aurora has been on my bucket list for some time. With the sun cycle at solar max Aaron, Alan, Rebecca, and I decided on a venture out to Iceland in hopes of witnessing the northern phenomenon. I figured a full 10 days in Iceland would give us a solid time window and opportunity to capture it. On our third day the sun delivered. A strong solar wind was predicted to buffet earth with a high probability of auroras.
As we waited out the daylight the anticipation began growing. While waiting for dinner people began running outside as the aurora commenced. I too joined the crowds outside and initially only saw a few whitish cloud-like strands. Just as I headed back in a sudden aurora streak ignited overhead. This time it was so bright I could easily see the green color. Excited and impatient, we all finished our dinner quickly and bolted out to our scouted shooting spots. After spending several hours going back and forth between the Jökulsárlón Iceberg lagoons and road turnouts, we decided to head back to our original spot along a stream as the final stop for the night. As we arrived and exited our cars the aurora suddenly exploded all over the sky. It was to the east, to the west, overhead, and simply dazzling all around. The aurora became so bright it was dancing and whipping around changing shapes. According to NOAA the aurora became a Kp5 sparking a G1 geomagnetic storm.
I made sure to focus on the task at hand and setup for this composition along the stream. I opted getting low to maximize the while still capturing foreground ice patterns along with a subtle reflection in the water. While shooting a bolt of aurora streaked through my frame creating a lightning bolt-like pattern. In the end the aurora streaked across the frame almost mirroring the shape of the mountain range. The experience was totally mesmerizing and it was an experience I shall always remember. This shot was focus stacked with 4 frames at 14mm for optimal sharpness from foreground to background.
Sony A7r
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8