The Northern Lights!!

I am a collector of experiences. I love adventures and as my profile says, it is about the journey as much as the photo itself. So, when I heard about the chance to see and photograph the Northern Lights near me I jumped at the chance! I never thought I would be able to see them this far south. They have been on my bucket list forever, but I thought a trip to Alaska, Iceland or Norway was the only way to catch a glimpse. When a friend of mine, Melissa, said it was possible 2 hours from where I live, I knew I had to go despite it making for a long night! Melissa let a group of us know that a show was possible and I made the trek up to Anacortes, WA to join her and a group of fellow photographers. You can see Melissa's shots from the night here!

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I took a few test shots, I began to see green in the camera. As the show became stronger I was able to see lighter gray sections of the sky and streaks moving upward as well as pink along with the green in my camera. It was a thrilling experience and something I am so glad I did despite the limited sleep that night. I cannot wait to go again!

And because this was such a learning experience for me (only had a few usuable shots) I share some tips at the bottom of this post. 

Settings: ISO 400, 16mm, f/4.0, ss30.0sec

Taken around 9:30pm on April 15th, 2015 at Washington Park

Settings: ISO 3200, 35mm, f/11, ss30.0sec

Taken around 10:20pm on April 15th, 2015 at Washington Park

Settings: ISO 500, 33mm, f/4.5, ss30.0sec

Taken around 10:30pm on April 15th, 2015 at Washington Park

Settings: ISO 640, 33mm, f/4.5, ss25.0sec

Taken around 10:40pm on April 15th, 2015 at Washington Park

"The north! the north! from out the north
What founts of light are breaking forth,
And streaming up these evening skies,
A glorious wonder to our eyes!"

Hannah Flagg Gould, "The Aurora Borealis"

A few things I learned about shooting the Aurora Borealis:
1. You can see them much farther south than you think, you just need a place that is as dark as possible (away from light pollution) and north facing with a good view of the horizon.

2. There are a TON of groups on Facebook, websites and apps for knowing when a storm is coming. Facebook - Aurora Alerts by Soft Serve and Aurora Borealis Notifications
Website - Soft Serve News and Space Weather Prediction Center
App - Aurora Forecast (free for iPhone)

3. A tripod is a MUST and a remote is extremely helpful. You have to have a very long exposure, a wide open aperture and a higher ISO so you need to do everything you can to minimize movement.

4. Manual focus to infinity. In the pitch dark there is nothing to see focus on so you have to set manual focus for your camera. This is what I need to work on for next time!

5. Limit exposure of your eyes to light. Use a red filter on your flashlight, don't check your phone, etc. This is the only way you can see anything with the naked eye.

As I said, I have a ton to learn and I can't wait to try again. I hope you find these tips helpful and I would love to know what you think of my first attempt at shooting this epic natural phonemeon!

   

Pierced Wonderings and Finding Beauty

Project 52 - Catch Up Weeks 11-13/52

This is my last post to catch up from being in Kentucky for my grandmother's funeral. I am combining 3 weeks into one. I would love to know which photo(s) is your favorite. Enjoy!

Week 11/52 - Wallace Falls Hike, March 9th, 2013
I was lucky enough to go on a hike with my mom, brother, my brother's girlfriend and my dog niece Cece. I have been trying to do more hiking lately as I enjoy being in nature and it provides amazing opportunities to hone my photography skills. On this particular outing I was able to practice taking photos of waterfalls. I read a tutorial about it before heading out about slow shutter speeds and making sure the whole waterfall is in shade. I didn't know how important this would be until I looked at the photos I took. We hiked from Small Falls to Lower Falls and to Middle Falls. I didn't make it all the way to Upper Falls, but I was proud of the 4 miles I did. I am only sharing photos of Small Falls though because the other shots were a combination of sun and shade and they just didn't work out. It is just a reminder of the power of lighting. The first waterfall shot is on the way in, at the beginning of the hike and the last is from the way out. I was fascinated by how much the light changed!

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss0/8secs, f/16 (on tripod)

Settings: ISO 250, 50mm, ss1/200, f/22

Settings: ISO 250, 50mm, ss1/5secs, f/16 (on tripod)

Week 12/52 - Kentucky Trip
I mentioned that I had to go to Kentucky for my grandmother's funeral. It was a difficult trip, but there were some enjoyable moments. One of them was visiting Devou Park with the fam to see where my mom spent time as a kid. I love the Cincinnati, Ohio skyline in this shot, but without my tripod and the wind it was very difficult to get. Luckily there was a trash can to use even if it involved me plugging my nose :o). The second shot is a rose from the service for my grandmother. I miss you Grandma!

Settings: ISO 2500, 50mm, ss3.2secs, f/22

Settings: ISO 2000, 100mm, ss1/1000, f/6.3

Week 13/52 - Spencer's Island
In effort to get back to my normal routine I went out to Spencer's Island in Everett, WA. The island sits on a slough and has amazing views of the mountains. After about 10 pictures I realized my battery was dead and the extra one was in my other bag at home from the trip. Even though that cut the shoot short I was able to capture a little bit of this beautiful place in the middle of the city.

Settings: ISO 500, 100mm, ss1/1250, f/5.6

Settings: ISO 2000, 100mm, ss1/2000, f/16

"The muffled syllables that Nature speaks | Fill us with deeper longing for her word; She hides a meaning that the spirit seeks, She makes a sweeter music than is heard." - George Santayana

           

Tones on Tuesday #70 3.26.13

I missed Tones on Tuesday last week because I was attending my grandmother's funeral in Kentucky. I was blessed to get to have such an amazing grandmother and I was glad to be able to go back to be with my family during this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding. Here are the showcases from the link up 2 weeks ago. I look forward to seeing your photos this week!

Leovi at La Fotografia Efectista Abstracta

I love the colors and lines in this photo. It is so fun to see Leovi's photos each week and imagine what the bigger picture might be. Thank you for sharing!

Marissa at A Journey Called Life

Beautiful soft colors and texture make for a dreamy photo. The depth of field adds to this lovely photo. Thank you for linking up Marissa!

Frau B. at Weibsimpressionen

The softness of the clouds and the fog is beautifully captured and the colors are lovely as well. Thank you for sharing Frau B.

Leovi, Marissa and Frau B. please go HERE to grab your showcase button.

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here are the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• One photo per photographer please. If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one is for Tones on Tuesday. If you link up more than once only the first photo will be considered for showcasing.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button or a link back here to your post.
• Leave comments for at least 3 other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oheKkR_BFoQ/ToqWTprynwI/AAAAAAAAAJE/eQ5mj0lgqx4/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> </center>

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

Both of my parents were born in Kentucky. My brother and I were born in Oregon and have lived most of our lives in Washington. So when we were back in Kentucky for the funeral, my mom showed my brother, his girlfriend and I around some of the places she spent time during her growing up. My mom's best friend's grandson also came with us. This shot is from Devou Park with the Cinncinati, Ohio skyline in the background. It was fun to see the places of my mom's memories and to capture part of my family. I did not bring my tripod so I had to make do with a bench. It was very windy so the photo was not as crisp as I would have liked. I used the Pioneer Woman's Lovely and Ethereal Action to play up the softness as an asset rather than a distraction. Hopefully it worked! 

Settings: ISO 800, 50mm, ss0.6sec, f/6.3

"Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter." - Brad Henry

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots and join the Tones on Tuesday link up found further down!

  

Night/Low Light Photography Tips and Tricks

Adding another post to my tips and tricks topics - Sunbursts, Landscape Locations and now Night/Low Light Photography. Thank you to those of you who take the time to read this and comment. I truly appreciate it! If there is anything you want to know about please feel free to let me know and I will give it a try!

Tips/Tricks (see below for more details)
1. Tripod, Tripod, Tripod!
2. Use a Wireless Remote
3. Pay attention to the light
4. Patience 

Settings: ISO 400, 18mm, ss3.2sec, f/7.1

Portland, OR - February 2012

1. Tripod, Tripod, Tripod! - I carry my tripod with my everywhere I go as you never know what the lighting situation will be when you shoot primarily outdoors. I find it especially important when I want to shoot sunsets, sunrises or in other low light situations. Having a tripod gives you the freedom to use lower shutter speeds and still maintain focus. You never know when you might need it!

Settings: ISO 400, 74mm, ss3.2, f/6.3

Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park - September 2011

Settings: ISO 400, 32mm, ss1/4sec, f/9.0

Sunset Lake in Oregon - August 2012

2. Use a Wireless Remote - Along with a tripod, I also have a wireless remote. Using it instead of pressing the shutter button, even when on a tripod, is another way to cut down on camera shake. If you don't have a remote you can always use the self timer feature.

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss4.0sec, f/11

Sunrise at Kerry Park - October 2012

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss12secs, f/11

Fireworks over Astoria, OR - July 2012

3. Pay attention to the light - This tip could apply to shooting at any time of day, in any light situation. Light makes or breaks a photo. At night and in low light situations the light dictates the need for certain settings, especially when there is a bright light such as the moon. You have to compensate for it so knowing where the light is coming from and what it will do in the camera is important. (This is something I am still learning about.)

Settings: ISO 400, 250mm, ss1/30, f/11

January 2012

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss13.0sec, f/22

Longview, WA - January 2012

4. Patience - One of the biggest things I have learned about Night and Low Light Photography is that you have to be patient to get the best shot. As I mentioned above, knowing about the light is important and knowing that it will change is also important. When shooting sunsets and sunrises in particular, the light is moving and causing changes to the colors in the sky. The best shot can come at any time so I always try to shoot from the beginning to the end in order to catch the light at its most brilliant.

Settings: ISO 200, 163mm, ss1/250, f/10 

Long Beach, WA - March 2012

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.”  ― Haruki Murakami

Project 64: Red Orange and Violet Red

Catching up on Project 64 with last week and this week's colors. I had to go into the archives as I have been working to get back on track with everything I am participating in, but it was a fun walk down memory lane. First last week's color was red orange:

This photo was taken on the Long Beach Peninsula during an amazing sunset! My goal was of course to capture the beautiful colors, but also to capture the sun going down with some definition, which I have not been able to do before. I think I accomplished that here. Other than a slight straightening this photo is SOOC.

Settings: ISO 200, 163mm, ss1/250, f/10 

(full manual, sunlight wb, SOOC with cropping)

And now, this week's color is Violet Red:

This photo was taken at Balloons Over Bend in Bend, Oregon. This was taken before I started my journey into photographing on manual. My goal was to capture all 3 balloons lit up and the beautiful colors. In Lightroom, I did minor work with the tone curve, upped the blacks and the saturation and vibrancy. 

Settings: ISO 1600, 18mm, ss1/15, f/3.5 (full auto)

"It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade." - Erno Rubik

  

Favorite Photo of the Week: Portland at Night and Eagle Eyes

I tried really hard to pick one photo to post as my favorite, but I felt compelled to pick two. In both cases, I felt really proud of the shots I was able to capture and the experience of these moments. I hope you don't mind the double favorites :o).

Portland at Night

Settings: ISO 400, 18mm, ss3.2sec, f/7.1 (full manual, on tripod, tungsten wb)

 

Bald Eagle in a Tree Over Siletz Bay

A leap forward on my bucket list...

Settings: ISO 200, 250mm, ss1/640, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)

     

"Every great work, every big accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement." - Florence Scovel Shinn

Tones on Tuesday #24 2.28.12

"Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it." - Mia Hamm

Do you ever have those months when you just can't get out from under everything? That has been February for me. But I have decided that instead of getting down about all of things I didn't do, I am going to start anew and continue my work toward my goals in the month of March. Therefore, I am not going to share any showcases this week. We will start fresh with the regular Tones on Tuesday format next week. For this week, I am going to share a picture and anxiously await your photos :o). Then I will get to do my favorite thing...visit your blogs and Flickr sites and be inspired by your talent! I hope you understand and stick with Tones on Tuesday.

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here are the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• One photo per photographer please. If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one if for Tones on Tuesday.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button to your post
• Leave comments for the other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oheKkR_BFoQ/ToqWTprynwI/AAAAAAAAAJE/eQ5mj0lgqx4/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> </center>

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

My photo is of a recent trip I took to try and de-stress a bit. On the way back from the coast we stopped in Portland, Oregon to take a picture of the city lights. This photo was taken at the end of the Eastbank Esplanade near OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). My goal was to capture the color and the lines. I competed with wind, cold and water that was anything but calm. I am happy with the result though and would love to go back in better conditions. In Lightroom, I cropped, straightened, adjusted many of the basic settings and used the tone curve a bit. What do you think?

Settings: ISO 400, 18mm, ss3.2sec, f/7.1 (full manual, on tripod, tungsten wb)

"Colors answer feeling in man; shapes answer thought; and motion answers will." - John Sterling

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots and join the Tones on Tuesday link up found further down!