aurora borealis

Hi!Long trip to Siberia is ahead and I'm trying to find any info

about taking pictures of aurora borealis. Any "how to" info are

welcome.Thanx.

This site, I have found. Dedicated to auroras and sky phonanmenas, they are. Visit their website, you should. Fruitful your experience, will be.

http://skychasers.net

...hope you are planning your trip between October and March?

The summer months have short evenings and long days: the aurora activity does better in black, winter skies.

Sounds like a wonderful trip!

I spent a few winters in the Alaskan Arctic, and the aurora were amazing. As were the snows that filled the air in whiteout conditions. The aurora are like vertical needles of colored light, tracking the magnetic flux lines near the poles, and they move across the sky like oil colors in a puddle of water...if it's a good display.

You have no doubt thought of all this, but bottom line, be prepared to keep your gear warm, and then to work very fast in setting up a camera on a tripod. At 20 to 56 below Fahrenheit (don't have my Centigrade calculator), perhaps devise some sort of insulated jacket to house your camera until the very last minutes before a shot. Wind is a serious issue, so extra weight will be needed to steady the tripod. Plus, a way to support the base of the tripod in the snow, of course...or set it on the hood/ roof of your vehicle (tracked? centrally articulated?). Or if you have good, fast film, then perhaps no tripod is needed?

And notice how they set up bathrooms without running water!

Good Luck, and I envy you in your trip!

Robt.

Please see the following thread for additional information http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0078yu.

After posting this I had an opportunity to shoot the Aurora Borealis in Alaska. It truly is something to see at least once in your life.

Based on my limited experience and lots of research, here are my thoughts: 1) You have the best chance of seeing active lights in winter. Something about the long nights and cold air, I guess. 2) Plan to spend at least 3 nights, because even in winter, the lights do not come out every night. 3) Be patient. I was out from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The lights come and go. 4) Dress warmly and wear a double layer of gloves. Footjoy makes a winter golf glove that is perfect as an underlayer glove. 5) Bring plenty of batteries. The cold weather really drains you. 6) Shoot lots of film. I brought a digital SLR and a film body. For some reason, the film worked much better. The digital was good for getting the exposure correct. 7) I shot Provia 400 and the slides are beautiful. However, I was very disappointed with the grain when I had my best shot printed at about 20"x30". I wish I had shot a few roles of ISO 100 and pushed it. 8) Scout out the location during the day. It will be pitch black when you are shooting. I was a little disappointed to see snow cat tracks in the snow in a few of my shots. I could not see them when I shot, but the long exposure made them visible on film. 9) Bring a flashlight or, better yet, a headlamp. If I think of more, I will add on later. Good luck.