About three weeks ago the skies danced, and I was lucky enough to witness it. It is an amazing experience to see the Northern Lights, and actually seems like you feel it in your soul. The settings that I used were ISO 3200, and shutter speed 16 seconds. My lens is a wide-angle - a Rokinon 1.8/20mm which is what I always use for astro on my Canon R6 Mirrorless. On this night, the colors were visible to the naked eye, which isn't always the case. At times you only see what could be interpreted as wispy clouds, until you take a shot. Because the camera is open longer and gathers more than our eye sees, the colors are then visible. I am interested in what you have to say about this image, and look forward to your suggestions.
8 comments posted
Kathleen Colligan
Laurie, your Northern Lights photo is absolutely?stupendous-and those reflections make it even more magical! Where were you located to witness this glorious night? Posted: 12/03/2025 19:03:04
Laurie McShane
Thank you, Kathleen. Amazingly, it was about half a mile from my house in northern Minnesota. We live in the country, and the skies are quite dark here. Posted: 12/05/2025 22:14:18
Arabella Dane
Oh my oh my this is gorgeous. I'm wondering if we were to include some of the detail in the dark areas if it would add to the impact of this extraordinary moment or not. Your dark triangles of vegetation certainly make us focus on the 'lights' and define the structure of the image succinctly and the curvilinear river of light takes us from foreground to background beautifully. Posted: 12/05/2025 19:15:48
Laurie McShane
Thanks, Arabella. I went back and forth on whether to lighten the trees and field - then it seemed like the focus should perhaps be on the lights. Not sure, still.... Posted: 12/05/2025 22:17:20
Harrison Ball
Wonderful image. The colors are sensational. I like how you captured the reflection of the lights in the foreground water. Congratulations on a wonderful image. Posted: 12/08/2025 15:10:48
Laurie McShane
Thanks so much, Harrison Posted: 12/10/2025 13:03:43
Teresa Hofer
Laurie, this is total perfection! I have captured lots of Northern Lights shots during Solar Cycle 25, but none as beautiful as this. I absolutely love everything about your image! Posted: 12/09/2025 00:57:23
Laurie McShane
Thank you, Teresa. It's been a magical time! Posted: 12/10/2025 13:04:21
