How should aurora shoot the necessary equipment of aurora?

Have you ever seen the aurora? To know that aurora is rare, travelers who go to see it will take a camera to record that wonderful moment. Do you know how to shoot the aurora? Do you need to prepare anything before shooting the aurora? This guide tells you!

Observation conditions: do your homework in advance to improve the observation probability. First of all, we need to know the observation conditions of aurora. Season, time, aurora index and weather are all uncertain factors affecting aurora observation. Therefore, doing homework in advance can improve our observation probability, and the preparation work is of course as full as possible!

season

The longer the night, the higher the probability of seeing the aurora, for example, from 10 to March of the following year. Theoretically, the aurora actually exists all year round, but the chances of seeing it are relatively low because of the extremely short day and night in summer, but lucky exceptions are not excluded. Generally speaking, winter is the most suitable season for observing aurora.

time

Although the aurora always exists and may appear at any time, the dark night from 9 pm to 2 am is usually the prime time for observation.

Aurora index

Shooting aurora is inseparable from the influence of the intensity of aurora index, which is KP value. The KP value is divided into 10 grades. When KP=9, the aurora is the strongest and the coverage is the largest; When KP=0, the aurora is the weakest and the coverage is the smallest. Generally, the aurora above the second level is clearly visible to the naked eye. It is recommended to download the mobile APP in advance to check the aurora index, such as Aurora.

Fcst, AuroraNow, etc. The higher the index, the higher the chance of seeing it.

weather

Weather is also an important factor that directly affects the aurora observation, and a clear or partially cloudy night sky is the best. If there is rain and snow and the clouds are thick, then you can't see the aurora with strong index. So before we leave, we should not only check the aurora index, but also look at the weather forecast, and choose a cloudless day in Wan Li. In addition, if you want to know the moving direction and speed of the cloud more accurately, it is recommended to download the APP of MeteoEarth, which can monitor the cloud conditions for nearly 30 minutes in real time.

Necessary equipment SLR camera-please put down your mobile phone

Although mobile phone lenses and algorithms are very powerful now, they are still not as good as professional SLR cameras. If you plan to shoot an aurora blockbuster, you must not be stingy. It is worthwhile to spend a lot of money on a SLR camera. (In fact, a small DSLR is enough, and you don't have to burn the Great God model. )

Tripod-a must.

You can do without a SLR camera, but you must not do without a tripod. Only when the tripod is fixed, the camera or mobile phone can stably complete long exposure and take high-quality and clear photos.

On the ground? Leaning against the support? Okay, but the angle is definitely not guaranteed. I'm afraid the final result can only be regarded as ambiguous and barely passed.

Cable Release-Advanced Equipment

Wired release or shutter remote control can avoid slight camera shake when we press the shutter, optimize the photo quality, make the photo clearer, and make it convenient for us to do post-processing such as photo superposition and shoot real aurora blockbusters.

Spare battery-no regret medicine

Outdoor low temperature may lead to virtual battery charging, and long-term exposure is very power-consuming. You need to prepare an extra camera battery just in case. Otherwise, it would be a pity if everything had suddenly gone out of power.

Parameter setting

After all the equipment is ready, all you need to know is the camera setting parameters. The setting parameters can be divided into the following four parts: shutter speed, aperture size, sensitivity (ISO) and focusing.

Shutter speed

Shutter speed can be said to be the most important parameter setting for shooting aurora. Only by choosing the right shutter speed can we shoot the most beautiful aurora.

Shutter speed should be set according to the intensity of aurora. Generally, shooting aurora requires a long exposure of about 10-20 seconds. If the aurora is weak that day, we may need 30 seconds or more exposure time. However, the exposure time should not exceed 60 seconds, otherwise the stars in the picture will become stellar orbits, which will affect the final presentation.

hole

The first thing we need to understand is that the larger the aperture, the smaller the F value on the camera (as shown below). The more light enters the camera, the brighter the photo will be.

Therefore, in the field with relatively little light, using a larger aperture can increase the light entering the camera and better complete the shooting. Generally, the F value of a camera lens can be reduced to about 3.5, so that shooting can be carried out.

Sensitivity ISO

Simply put, the sensitivity (ISO) will affect the brightness of photos. The higher the ISO value, the brighter the picture. It is really necessary to improve the ISO value when shooting aurora at night, but if the ISO value is too high, the noise of the photo will increase and the quality of the photo will deteriorate, so it is particularly important to choose the appropriate ISO value.

When shooting the aurora, it is generally enough to adjust the ISO to about 800, which is also recommended by many local photographers, but the specific situation should be analyzed in detail, and we still have to adjust it according to the actual situation that night.

concentrate

Focusing should be considered unfamiliar to the novice photographer, because in most cases, everyone uses autofocus (AF). Just press the shutter gently for half a time, and the camera can intelligently help you determine the subject, with automatic focusing, which is convenient and quick.

However, when shooting the aurora, the overall picture is too dark and it is difficult for the camera to focus. At this time, we need to turn the focus ring and focus manually. We need to choose to focus on a subject, such as stars, distant city lights or other objects far away from you, and then shoot.

By adjusting the above four parameters, you can basically shoot a satisfactory aurora blockbuster. However, these settings and values are for reference only and need to be mastered flexibly according to the actual situation in order to become a real aurora photographer.

Visual dislocation

The angle of aurora shooting is very important. If you want to make photos interesting, try visual dislocation. The moon is the easiest element to use in the dark. Under the background of aurora, by adjusting the angle between the figure and the moon, we can visually form the illusion that the moon is in the palm of your hand, or open your mouth to "eat" and pick the moon in the aurora, or kick the moon away with a glowing crown. Use your imagination to take creative photos. Of course, no matter how funny, we should focus on the aurora, and we can't reverse it!

When shooting with props, you can use the props around you to make the picture look less single. For example, riding a mountain bike in the wild, the movement of characters makes the whole picture move, and the dynamic visual effect is more attractive than the static one. Aurora usually appears for a short time, sometimes even less than tens of seconds, less than one minute, so it is impossible to predict when it will appear, so be sure to keep the camera shooting and be ready to shoot at any time.

Forward-looking shooting

When the aurora explodes strongly, the whole sky is full of graceful aurora. At this time, you can take a long-distance shot to make the picture more powerful. It is recommended to shoot in an open place without too many obstructions, and the composition is simple, which can better highlight the majestic momentum of the aurora. The open road is a good choice, and the vision follows the infinite road, which makes people feel extended and the photos look more stereoscopic and artistic. Especially in winter, the major ice lanes in northwest China have become the hot spots for shooting aurora, and the pure and white roads set off the aurora more and more gorgeous, giving people a strong visual impact!

When taking close-ups of aurora figures, your body movements can be bigger, not too rigid, so that the photos can be active. Do some actions that interact with the aurora, such as pointing to the aurora, and connect the aurora with people through actions. They are no longer a single subject, and the picture instantly "lives" and is more story-telling. An attractive photo must contain some emotions, and the joy of seeing the aurora can be conveyed through the photo, so that people who see the photo can also feel excited.

The ever-changing aurora has many faces, and each time it appears, its color and shape are different, sometimes like a canopy, sometimes like a ribbon, sometimes like a rainbow, and sometimes it is a dazzling light beam. The most common aurora is green, of course, there are purple, red, blue and other colors, but color aurora is relatively difficult to meet. If you want to put all kinds of auroras into the lens, there is only one way, stay in the northwest for a while and shoot auroras in plenty of time.