Auroras Go Digital
In the era of the single lens reflex camera, there was always difficulty in photographing the aurora. The problem was the duration of the exposure (about 20 seconds) and the rapid movement of the aurora at its brightest. The result was often a blurred picture that appeared to be a pale reflection of reality. This, coupled with the difficulty in reproducing the awesome experience of an event that covers the whole open sky, made photography difficult for an inexperienced amateur observer. Point and shoot cameras with no manual setting exacerbated the problem.
With the development of the digital camera, photographing the aurora has been made simple. Simple “point and shoot” digitals do not work well. Best results are obtained with digital cameras that have a manual or bulb setting allowing exposures of up to 15 seconds. Usually such cameras will have an adjustable ISO ranging from 50 to 800. Settings of ISO 400 coupled with an exposure of 8 to 15 seconds bring excellent results. A small tripod helps in holding the camera steady in temperatures of - 30 C. I use a small pocket-sized tripod and set it on the ground or on any object that is handy (usually a truck hood or post). If your camera is too large for a small tripod (ex. digital single lens reflex), use a larger tripod (not very handy when you are travelling) or set the camera on any handy perch. The best images that I have seen were captured with a digital SLR using a wide angle lens and mounted on a fairly tall tripod, ISO 800 and a 15 sec. exposure. I have had good results with my tiny Canon at ISO 400 at 8 sec.
The huge advantage of the digital is you can see the results immediately and adjustments can be made on the spot. If the intense auroral display (that’s the one you want) lasts 15 to 20 minutes, many exposures can be made, refining the process as you go. The disadvantage of power hungry digitals is having your camera run out of power in the cold. You may be are forced to experience the event with your eyes and not through the camera viewer. This is not always bad!
Here are some suggestions:
Look for a camera that has a glass lens. Higher end cameras have larger lenses that let in more light, resulting in better images. If you can afford it, acquire a digital single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera. It will give you excellent results.
Pixels mean power. Get as many as you can afford; 6 megapixels is very good, more is better. Couple megapixels with as wide-angle lens as you can afford; 8 megapixels is excellent. Remember that as you increase your megapixels, you will increase your file sizes, which may require a more powerful computer in which to download your pictures.
Acquire an additional battery for your camera. I ALWAYS have three fully charged batteries for the evening shoot. Keep your batteries discharged until the day you need them, so bring your battery charger with you.
Bring discs and your download program in case there is a computer handy on which to download your images and burn them on to a CD or flash memory. This takes up little space unless you’re bringing your own laptop (done quite frequently these days).
A little pocket-sized tripod is best unless you are using a heavy digital SLR with a big wide-angle lens. Try your tripod before you bring it. Make sure it will support your camera. You will be setting it up inside and then carrying everything outside where you will shoot in fairly cold conditions where removing your mitts will sometimes be painful. I take my camera outside in my parka pocket, take my shoots and bring my camera inside in my parka pocket. My little tripod is attached and fits in the pocket comfortably.
For some cameras, a shutter release cable may be useful, although in most smaller digital cameras it is not an option. If your camera can be used with a shutter release cable, bring it. If your digital can be activated with a remote, bring it (make sure your battery for the remote is charged).
If your camera uses non-rechargeable batteries, bring lots of batteries!
If your digital camera does not have a manual setting, bring it anyway. There will be many opportunities to take photos during the day when you are traveling to and near Churchill as well as photographs that can be taken near the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.