2016 Ontario Sunset Country Travel Guide 2016 Ontario's Sunset Country Travel Guide | Page 19

The Amazing Northern Lights Experience
immediately posted the photos on Facebook to share with others.
You too can take great pictures of this phenomenon by learning
from my experiences about taking pictures of the Aurora. Even
if you are not interested in taking pictures of them, this will allow
you to view this awesome sight in the most ideal conditions for
the best experience possible- Trust me, it is worth it!
Tips for Taking Pictures of the Northern Lights
If you follow these tips you will be successful – eventually anyway
– just be patient!
• Find an area with little or no light pollution (lights from street
lights etc.).
• If you encounter light interference, position yourself with any
possible light sources to your south.
By: Justin T. Stevens
I first became interested in photography in 2011. Starting with
just my phone, I wanted to share the many beautiful sights and
scenes in Ontario’s Sunset Country. The phone camera didn’t cut
it so I bought my first professional model and boy did it make a
big difference! My first interest was in capturing the magnificent
sunrises and sunsets we have up here. After many hundreds of
images of these, I turned my interest to a less predictable but
magical subject – the Aurora Borealis or as many of us call them,
the Northern Lights.

• Scope out your potential spots during the day.
• In order to achieve the best photos of the Aurora Borealis-the
very first thing is investing in the right equipment – buy a good
SLR camera, a wide angle lens and a tripod.
• Read up on your camera’s manual settings, and play around
with them so you have good knowledge on how to achieve the
desired photos.
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Follow a Northern Lights forecast site. One that I commonly use
is www.softservenews.com.

I had never actually seen the Northern Lights before, but as I
lay awake in bed one night I looked out the window and saw a
strange green glow in the sky. I realized what it was and almost every night thereafter, if the skies were clear, I would wait up to see if
the Northern Lights would show themselves again. While this is a
solar phenomenon that’s not predictable at all, 2015 proved to be
a great year to see the most wondrous cosmic displays and I was
able to capture many images I would call “keepers”.

• Check the local weather forecast. You want to make sure it is
going to be clear - as too many clouds or fog but will block
your view of any light activity.

I tried to take photos of this experience to share with others, but
unfortunately due to my inexperience my first few photos failed.
They were blurry, dark and most of the time completely
un-useable. However, it only made me want to learn more and I
have been hooked ever since! Over the next year, I spent countless hours during the day reading article after article on how to
take successful Northern Lights photos. I would read tips and
tricks, and spend my nights practicing what I'd learned. I also did
a lot of research about when the lights are most active; and how
to best capture the images with my camera.

• Make sure you dress warm and comfortably, as well as bring
extra batteries for your camera.

I had been following a page that gave regular updates on when
and where the lights are the most active. I checked it every half
hour and monitored the progress throughout the day. I decided I
was going to put all of the knowledge I learned to the test. I knew
I needed to find somewhere quiet and dark to try it out. I stood
on the beach for hours and Mother Nature put on an unforgettable show. After taking hundreds of photos, spending hours watching, constantly changing my camera settings and checking my
screen, it ended, and I headed home. I stayed up for many more
hours combing through the images and choosing my favourites.
I could not believe my eyes. I had finally taken a successful photo
of the Northern Lights Experience! I was extremely excited and

• Arrive and set up at your chosen spot early. Keep in mind that
the Northern Lights can last for hours; but other times are
o