Check out today's B&H Deal Zone for big savings on:
See today's full list of B&H Deal Zone Deals.
Worth browsing: Deals of the Week at B&H.
I had a distraction this week. The space weather forecast was redlined. It couldn't get much better. A long period of Kp 8 was predicted from sunset into the next day (as I shared with you in a news post).
A Kp 8 could be visible from my yard in central Pennsylvania. But then, I remembered Bryan's Law of Astronomical Events: If there is an astronomical event happening, all locations within a reasonable drive will be totally cloud-covered.
So, shocking was the National Weather Service forecast for 0% cloud cover and 0% wind speed, an unbelievable combination for an unusual night sky event I'm chasing, and that forecast was for the duration of the Kp 8 prediction. Game on. An adventure began.
Reasonable Northern Lights displays are rare in central PA, and I didn't have a go-to location list prepared for this opportunity. I needed good visibility of the sky and wanted dark skies, especially to the north, with a foreground subject being a bonus.
Shooting from home was an option. A nearby field provided the desired visibility, and our sky is moderately dark, especially when the air clarity is high. I could drive a short distance from the house and be shooting in minutes.
Still, the forecast was outstanding enough to make researching an even better location worthwhile. That my wife hadn't seen the Northern Lights in about two decades and had recently asked to see them again raised the bar on location selection.
Scouting the Pennsylvania state forest maps for vistas looking north and online scouting via images captured from those locations provided a few good options within a couple-of-hour drive. However, a high elevation (for PA) lake I scouted for Milky Way photography earlier in the summer was in a dark sky location with no close towns to the north. Most subjects are even better when their reflection is included, and the rare 0 mph wind forecast made the lake option seem especially great. A bonus was that the lake was a 1.5-hour drive north, deeper into the Northern Lights visibility range.
The lake was a perfect location. It was calm, and we (and a pack of loud coyotes) had it to ourselves for the entire night.
Reaching Kp 8.5+, the 10/10/2024 Northern Lights show was a 10. I've had the privilege of viewing and photographing the Northern Lights numerous times, but this show was different from what I normally see. The lights did not have a strong structure and they were not hte brightest I've seen, but the color was wild, with the reds and even some blues being especially amazing.
Consider the Northern Lights a fast-moving subject, as they are often pulsing and dancing. A wide aperture lens is needed to avoid strong motion blur, the smearing of the aurora details.
My favorite two aurora lenses, the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM and FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens, each mounted to an Alpha 1 body for fast switching, were in the MindShift Gear BackLight 26L. Both lenses performed superbly as always.
A larger version of this image is available here.
Check out today's B&H Deal Zone for big savings on:
See today's full list of B&H Deal Zone Deals.
This deal has been extended 12 hours to 3:00 AM EDT: 5DayDeal Complete Photography Bundle 2024.
Take your photography to the next level with the skills, ideas, and tools you need to create incredible photos. Get over $1,000.00 worth of training and tools for only $98.00!
Check out today's B&H Deal Zone for big savings on:
See today's full list of B&H Deal Zone Deals.
This bull was significantly obstructed and facing away as it thrashed an alder, providing poor photo opportunities. So, planning for its next move became the priority.
The bull had moved away from a cow to threaten an opponent, so, logically, it would go back to the cow. If that option was chosen, the bull would most likely come through a specific opening, and positioning for a supporting background behind that opening became the plan. That optimal position included getting low to ensure most of the close, in-focus foreground was out of the frame, that the mountains were prominently included, and that the catchlight in the bull's eye was enlarged (reflecting more sky).
As predicted, the bull came into the opening, and better than expected, it stopped to provide a variety of poses.
The Canon EOS R5 Mark II and RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens are an outstanding combination for on-the-move wildlife photography.
A larger version of this image is available here.
B&H order now to avoid the upcoming week long holiday closure.
B&H will be closed:
Friday, October 11 through Saturday, October 12
Wednesday, October 16 at 1:00pm through Friday, October 25
You have one day remaining to gain access to 5DayDeal Complete Photography Bundle 2024 10th Anniversary Edition, an exclusive collection of photography resources. Minimally, review the list of the $1,000.00+ worth of resources included in this bundle for only $98.00.
Main Bundle
Pro Bundle
Charity Bundle
Exclusive Bonus
Spanish Bundle
Order the 5DayDeal resource bundle now!
Please share the site's link with those in your network for their benefit and the benefit of the charities. of the charities.
The Northern Lights are a spectacular sight, and I do not remember seeing a stronger forecast than the one for tonight (currently reaching Kp 8 for an extended duration).
"The Northern Lights may become visible as far south as Alabama to northern California" [NOAA]
Northern Lights forecasting is not accurate, and the lights could be a no-show tonight, but the incoming storm is strong enough to prompt NOAA to hold a media briefing. I didn't watch the 1-hour recording, but view it here if you are interested.
Put a plan in place.
Select a dark sky location with good sky visibility, especially to the north, and a clear weather forecast.
The Aurora forecast link (higher Kp is better) tells you when to be at that location. Note that the lights may not be visible for the entire forecasted duration (perhaps for only a few minutes), and the activity will likely increase and decrease throughout the visibility duration, so plan to hang out in your location (dress adequately and take food and drink).
Usually, your widest angle and widest aperture lenses are the best choice for Northern Lights photography. 14mm f/1.8 and 24mm f/1.4 lenses are my favorite options.
Use a tripod, and for exposure, chase the show's intensity with shutter speed and ISO (watch the histogram and avoid burying a color onto the right wall of the chart). If the lights are bright and pulsing fast, attempt to get the shutter speed down to as short as 0.5 seconds to capture the structure and avoid a smear of color.
I have a growing stack of Northern Lights photos to share with you, but I still need more time to process them.
While the camera will see the colors better than your eyes, a strong aurora is easily visible and worth taking your non-photographer friends to see.
Sony Alpha 7R V firmware update version 3.00 is again available for download.
"We suspended the Ver. 3.00 software release on 09-13-2024 due to some products failing to update. However, after taking the necessary measures, we resumed the release on 10-09-2024. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If your camera successfully updated to Ver. 3.00, you may continue using it without issue." [Sony]
Firmware Version 3.00 incorporates the following fixes and enhancements:
* The Creators' App may not be available in some countries or regions.
Get the Sony Alpha 7R V at B&H.
Get the Apple AirPods Pro 2 for only $168.00, a Prime Big Deal at Amazon (Reg $249.00).
The Fantastic Fall Deals Sale at B&H ends today.
Probably, the items you want are on sale.
Don't forget the B&H PayBoo offer Through Oct 31st, save an additional 5% on select Canon cameras and lenses at B&H when checking out with the PayBoo card. The extra 5% is on top of the current Canon promotions, including $500.00 off of the R6 II, and the usual PayBoo sales tax savings applies. Get the details here.
Today is also the last day of the huge Prime Day Sale at Amazon.
Now is a great time to buy a huge range of products.
Don't forget, the Amazon Prime Card Bonus provides 10% back on the purchase of many Canon mirrorless cameras, lenses, and other products.
This percent back is on top of any Canon instant savings available.
Don't have an Amazon Prime Card? Get one here.
The 48 Hour Frenzy at Adorama ends today.
Featured brands include Canon, Sony, Apple, and more!
Check out today's B&H Deal Zone for big savings on:
See today's full list of B&H Deal Zone Deals.
Check out the huge memory card sale at B&H. 217 cards are on sale, including Nextorage, SanDisk, Lexar, and Sabrent brands.
The cards are listed in best seller sequence. Select the card type and capacity to further limit the selection.
For 3 days, save up to 81% on Skylum Luminar Neo!