You don’t have to tuck your camera in for the night at dusk. The dark hours can yield a variety of interesting shots. And February is a good time to shoot the night sky. For one, it’s not as cold as it was in January and you don’t have to stay up as late as you would in June. The main thing to remember for nocturnal astronomical photos is to include a foreground element for added compositional interest.

Aurora Exposure
Where were you on November 7th, 2004? One of the most spectacular displays of the aurora borealis (northern lights) that the Midwest had seen in many years was flowing its green and red energy through the atmosphere that night. The auroral event was noted from California to Quebec and from Alaska to Arizona.

Bridget and I were driving north from the Twin Cities along MN 23 in Pine County when we saw the first reddish waves. As spectacular as the display was, I knew I needed a foreground subject to make a great photo. It is a rare northern lights photo that stands on the lights alone. Now as a photographer I usually have a plan for times like this. A couple gnarled pines in Duluth would make a neat foreground but I was 45 miles south. What’s a photographer to do? Make your own foreground! I found an overlook that could silhouette me against the night sky. Quickly, I set up the tripod set the self-timer and ran into frame.

Read the rest of the Sparky's column in our February issue...