NOOB, NEED HELP PHOTOGRAPHING AURORA,

I really should follow my own advice an look on Google Earth to do a recce! If my wife retires from her day job to concentrate on her Yoga studio, we'll be able to take more holidays, so trips to Iceland and New Zealand are definitely in the pre-planning stage! (We have friends on both main NZ islands so have somewhere to spend a few nights and would probably do the camper van thing for as much freedom as possible. Iceland would probably be a basic package and a hire car/4x4.
 
fridge thank you for the info on your setup, and your photo's look really stunning,
Nod this will be our second time as we so loved it the first time, like you we don't drink and smoke. we dont drive when we go to iceland as the roads are so bad once you get of the main routes i dont feel safe driving on them. but the transport around the island is great so no real need for a car. what we found though food is expensive as the island cant really grow there own food so do take note when eating out.
the paces we found fantastic was the super jeep tour of the glacier via the south shore, we took and again this time will be taking to 2 tours to see the A,B 1 will be a coach tour thats only about £20pp but is good as the drivers and guide have a direct link to the icelandic meteorological office so they know in real time where the A,B is and more they know where the holes in the cloud cover is if its cloudy and will drive straight to it. the second tour was a boat trip out on the night chasing the A,B not the greatest for photo's but a real joy to do.
another great place to go is the Thingvellir National Park this is where the american and european techonic plates are pulling apart and ripping iceland apart it is a stunning place and great for some photo's you can walk in the crack between the 2 continents https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=t...ObKY6T0QX634CoBA&ved=0CDAQsAQ&biw=873&bih=515
and dont forget to go whale and dolphin watching and if you use eldings over there and you dont see anything they give you a free ticket to go again and that lasts for 2 years so if you cant use it you could give it to some needing person on here, i have no need to mention the volcano they go without saying along with the geysir and blue lagoon. just remember every time you turn on or go by hot water it will stink like someone has dropped the worst fart ever, for what you can see and the price you pay its the best place on earth to go see, its only cost me £145pp for 4 nights flights and accom.
 
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Thanks for that, Sut.

Bad roads hold no demons for me - I have done proper off-roading courses and have had a couple of LandRovers and driven other 4x4s both seriously off road and green laning. But, if the tours aren't too expensive and the public transport system works properly, that may well be a cheaper option. Don't mind slightly expensive food as long as we don't feel ripped off - one slight problem might be that my wife's a vegetarian, do they cater for such faddy eaters?! She also suffers quite badly from motion sickness, so (for her) boat trips aren't her favourite outings. Won't stop me from going though and the lure of dolphins and whales may well prompt her to take a tablet and come with me.

If you don't mind me asking, where are you staying and who (tour company) are you going with? £145 sounds very affordable for flights and accomodation - where do you fly from?
 
Just come across this thread and I'm very surprised no-one has pointed you in the direction of the 'Tutorials and Guides' part of the forum. Lots of good advice in 'Photography Techniques' with 'Beginners Guide to Exposure' and 'Everything you need to know about exposure.....etc.'

Then if you look in the 'Other' section there is the 'A-Z of Photographic Terms' which will probably explain a few things to you. Plenty of other good tutorials too.

Should answer most, if not all, of your questions;)
 
Fred, they are stunning shots.

I think I managed to capture a bit of the Aurora Borealis last night when I was shooting the International Space Station. Top right of this shot shows what I think are the Aurora Borealis

8120277281_11da2a832d.jpg
[/url] The ISS above the Falkirk Wheel by Leslie Stoddart, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
Leslie said:
Fred, they are stunning shots.

I think I managed to capture a bit of the Aurora Borealis last night when I was shooting the International Space Station. Top right of this shot shows what I think are the Aurora Borealis

8120277281_11da2a832d.jpg
[/url] The ISS above the Falkirk Wheel by Leslie Stoddart, on Flickr[/IMG]
Click to expand...

I can't actually see what it is you are referring to on the image but as Stu says, you are pointing south so it isn't going to be the Aurora this far down.
 
graphilly said:
I can't actually see what it is you are referring to on the image but as Stu says, you are pointing south so it isn't going to be the Aurora this far down.
Click to expand...

Yeh, it's not showing up very well on Flickr. It was really obvious on my laptop in the house. I did wonder if it was the AB as I was facing south but figured that as they can come right overhead you would capture them facing south. There is a bit of lens flare from the light at the bottom left and if you follow a straight line to the top right then you get to what I thought were the AB. It must just be lens flare.
 
Oh yes I see what you are talking about and it is deffinetly lens flare, I thought you where origional refering to the dim blue glow on the horizon.

Stuart
 
Leslie said:
Yeh, it's not showing up very well on Flickr. It was really obvious on my laptop in the house. I did wonder if it was the AB as I was facing south but figured that as they can come right overhead you would capture them facing south. There is a bit of lens flare from the light at the bottom left and if you follow a straight line to the top right then you get to what I thought were the AB. It must just be lens flare.
Click to expand...

Actually I see it on the larger image now. It looks like a bit like how a galaxy shows up, caught on camera at this kind of distance, but I don't think there is anything in that area you would catch so possibly just some lens flare.
 
graphilly said:
Actually I see it on the larger image now. It looks like a bit like how a galaxy shows up, caught on camera at this kind of distance, but I don't think there is anything in that area you would catch so possibly just some lens flare.
Click to expand...

Ah well, capturing the ISS was the real reason for the shot anyway. I just thought that the AB was a nice little bonus!
 
NOD, we booked via lowcostholidays flying with easy jet and we are staying at the hotel cabin right on the coast http://www.hotelcabin.is/ the food is expensive but you will not be ripped off you are just being charge more to cover the fact that they have to import almost everything. and vegetarian food is not a problem they cover everything you could need,
on both times we have been to iceland we have found it very cheap to go as long as you look round and book in advance, if interested i had a quick look and you can go in april next year for £120pp flights and accom for 4 or 5 nights, and april is a good time of year to see the A,B

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x392/sut1576/hollllddddd.png

if you need anything else just give me a shout,
 
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NOD did you have any luck looking at the holidays to iceland?
 
Sut, I was looking at a copy of a magazine called outdoor photographer, it had an article on photographing the night sky that you might find insperational.

Stuart
 
Not done any serious research yet, Sut. I may need specialist travel insurance since my recent brane surgery but have a Dr's appointment on Friday for a general chat, so will be asking him for his advice. I have checked with my car insurer and once I'm medically cleared as safe to drive, there will be no loading, since the op will be deemed to have cured me! To be honest, I'm a few hundred percent safer now than I was before the op so it's a bit silly that I'm not allowed but I can see why the rules are in place (there's a possibility of epileptic fits - I have to take a drug called Penytoin for a while to prevent them). Hoping my bike insurers will feel the same way. (And travel insurers - will have to pop into the bank and check - travel insurance is a benefit of the small fee I pay each month. I may pull the "If you won't cover me, I'll move all my accounts somewhere else." line - should work a treat, I have fairly substantial accounts there.) Less than 70 days before I can reapply for the license back - not that I'm counting!
 
Not 100% made up my mind as to which to do, Iceland or a Hurtigruten coast hopping cruise (well, ferry from Bergen to almost the Russian border and back). I reckon both will involve 2 flights each way (Exeter to departure, departure to destination). Will probably do a package to Iceland first visit then, if we go back, may do it freehand. Will have to see where the closest airport that flies direct to Iceland (? Reykjavik?) or Bergen. If it's Bristol, we'll be happy to drive and park but if it's Gatwick, we'll probably do an air transfer from EXT.
 
i have found the cheapest flights to icleand leave from london luton direct to Reykjavik.
 
To a large extent, convenience is more important than cheapness, besides, fuel to Luton and back + parking would probably negate any savings over more local departures! One of the few downsides to living in such a beautiful part of the country is that access to slightly alternative flight destinations is somewhat restricted! We used to be able to fly to Crete direct fron EXT but there only a few flights on that route per year and they're rather expensive (and at a time when the daytime temperatures over there are too hot for the locals, let alone me).
 
As the location bit <- says, Devon. Specifically, Exeter.
 
as you say very nice part of the world, great for taking your photo's
 
Yup! Just a shame at the moment that travel is less easy for me - not a fan of busses and I live at the top of the highest and steepest hill in the city, so walking home ain't fun! Roll on Jan 6th 2013.
 
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