[Leica] How to photograph the Aurora Borealis

["Tim Atherton" <timphoto@nt.sympatico.ca>]

First,

Here is a website that gives you a forecast for the week/weekend, and also a
map showing where the aurora will be seen, as well as lots of other info
about the N. Lights:

http://www.pfrr.alaska.edu/~pfrr/AURORA/INDEX.HTM

Go to Weekly Forecast, then also click on Auraural activity map, if you want
that (Only covers Alaska,Yukon and NWT - which I believe are the best
regions to see them).

Now, to photograph the N. Lights.

You need at least a camera that will allow manual exposures (up to 2-10
minutes). Probably a wide angle lens 9as fas as possible). Tripod. Shutter
release. Film - 400 speed upwards is best (the new Fuji 100/1000 pushed
works well, as does print film). Any slower, and the length of exposure
leads to star streaks - unless you like that. Warm clothes - you may give
out before the camera does. Often you can wait 2-3 hours for the lights to
come out, if they do. Also, battery dependant cameras may die, as well as
freeze up, sat on a tripod waiting. (horror of horrors, I know this is the
LUG, but my F4 with lithium batteries has sat out on a tripod at -32c for 4
hours waiting for the lights and still worked okay). If you shoot the lights
towards dawn or dusk, you will also get more blue in them, from the sky.


A night with not quite a full moon works well, as it will illuminate the
ground/foreground/horizon - trees, lakes etc, as well as show the lights.
You also want to be as far away from any city as you can be. The light
pollution will ruin your shots.

Now, the following is a guide - the lights vary in intensity, sometimes they
are static, sometimes very mobile. They also vary in colour. Indeed,
sometimes the visible spectrum is different to what shows up on film (I hope
these figures don't get scrambled):

f#		200iso		400		800

1.4		5sec			3sec		2sec

1.8		7sec			4sec		3sec

2.0		20sec			10sec		5sec

2.8		40sec			20sec		10sec

3.5		60sec			30sec		15sec


These figures are based on experience, not mathematical tables - they do
work, but you really need to bracket. Shooting at 2.8 with 400 speed film, I
will often shoot 15 sec, 20 sec and 40 sec or longer, depending how bright
the lights seem based on previous experience.

Hope this makes sense...

Tim A