Hunt for the Aurora Borealis
The Northern Lights fascinate me for as long I can remember .
Up to now, I never had the opportunity or means to go on an expedition or excursion that far up North. So the news all over the internet that due to extra strong sun activities the northern lights are visible even here in Europe was very exciting. Last night I went out to a nearby castle in the Black Forest to witness this spectacular event myself. Equipped with my GFX100 (with the GF20-35, GF55 as lenses of my choice) and a small setup to film the night sky turned into purple colors, I started my adventure around 23:00. Many of my Photographer friends and colleagues were out in the night as well, so the online exchange of information was gigantic. Having seen already so many impressive pictures (some of them as near as Karlsruhe half an hour away), my blood pressure and heart frequency raised.
local time 00:25 | GFX 100 & GF 20-35@ 20mm | ISO 100 | f=4 | t=30 sec.
My initial destination, the castle Eberstein was closed at night (which did not really surprise me too much), so I simply stopped at the side of the winding road leading up to the castle - and I was not alone. Around a dozen cars were lined up left and right. Many families with kids, guys with tripods and other guys with their mobile phones pointing upwards. By then it was 00:18 and I set up my tripod and started a few first test exposures. No clouds and a really clear sky looked promising. Taking into account that there are practically no areas in Germany where you do not have a lot or even more light pollution, the amount of stars in the sky was unexpected. A little extra light from the moon above the horizon and the city lights in the background.
local time 01:31 | GFX 100 & GF 20-35@ 20mm (composing out of 4 single shots) | ISO 250 | f=4 | t=120 sec.
Nice temperatures, many shorter and longer chats with by-passers incl. the super friendly crew of a police car made the waiting time fly by. Waiting for THE moment, the anticipated beginning of the ‘dancing colors in the sky’…
local time 01:52 | GFX 100 & GF 20-35@ 20mm | ISO 500 | f=4 | t=60 sec.
According to my research the ‘best time slot’ was supposed to be between 23:00 and 03:00. So my hopes went down … Was I disappointed? Only a little to be honest: The whole experience out at night with a sky full of stars above you, was very calming, full of positive energy, I would say. By now, all other cars nearby left, leaving me in the dark. Around 02:45 I packed up and drove home.
What did I learn? We should enjoy and appreciate the wonders of Nature more often! Congrats again to all fellow Photographers who were at the right spot at the right time…
