Thank you everyone for your support during 2012, it has been very humbling. I have so much fun going on photo trips around northern Michigan and I can’t wait to start shooting in 2013.
Have a great new year and be safe!
- Travis.
It certainly has been a long time since my previous post, so I wanted write up a brief ”summary” post of what has been going on the past few months. Hit the break to read more… Read more
Tonight the northern lights will be very active due to a large solar flare that is impacting the earth. Most northern latitudes in the United States should be able to view the display, as long as clouds hold off. The northern lights are a great nighttime treat to watch or capture on ‘film’.
If you plan on photographing the ‘Lights’, here are some tips that may be useful:
- Be sure to use a tripod to stabilize your camera, this is critical.
- Use a lens that has a large maximum aperture. A f/3.5, f/2.8, or f/2.4 lens would be ideal. If you aren’t sure of what the maximum aperture size is for one of your lenses, it usually is printed on the lens. The smaller the number, the better.
- Use a slow shutter speed. Primarily, I use a 30 second exposure speed (or faster) and usually have the aperture set wide open (f/2.4 in my case because that is my lens’ widest aperture). Anything above a 30 second exposure may reduce details in the ‘lights’ and cause motion blurs from movement of the Earth. Shutter speed is quite subjective to the light conditions. If the Aurora is very bright, you can get away with a with a faster shutter speed and lower ISO.
- Depending on the speed of your lens & how bright the aurora is, you may need to bump up (or turn down if the Aurora is very bright) the ISO. I usually try to shoot at 1600 ISO or maybe 3200 ISO. But remember, the higher the ISO the more grain that will appear in the photo. Also, the higher the ISO, the faster your camera will pull in light. This setting is also subjective to the brightness of the aurora.
-If it’s very bright, a lower ISO & faster shutter speed can be used. If it’s very dim, a higher ISO (in combination with a slower shutter speed) will be needed to capture the light of the Aurora.
- Set your lens/camera to Manual focus. Make sure your lens’ focus is turn to Infinity (which looks like this on the lens ∞ )
- Make sure to bring a flashlight.
- If you don’t capture the ‘lights’ in your first image, don’t get discouraged. Adjust your aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings until you start to see the lights in your image.
If anyone has any specific question, feel free to email me your questions via travis@travispeltz.com
These are the tips I keep in mind when I shoot the northern lights. Keep in mind that there are different methods to capture the lights on film. So if you find a different method that works for you, then certainly keep shooting! 
Happy Shooting!!
- Travis.
Last night, a large coronal mass ejection (CME) was thrown from the sun. It’s hurtling straight toward our little planet, Earth. This means northern areas in the USA may be able to see the Aurora Borealis tomorrow night (March 8, 2012). The last time a large CME occurred was last year in the fall, it was seen as far south as Tennessee. This event may be the same size or larger. I highly advise everyone to keep there eye on the sky tomorrow night. It will be a great photo opportunity and definitely is something that a family may enjoy watching.
I plan on shooting the ‘lights’ all thursday night. It’s a rare event, some people never see them in their lifetime. I’ll be posting new images periodically through the night and Friday morning.
- Travis.
Black Friday has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the sales are! Hit the break for an unbelievable deal….
Last night my awesome blog designer, Ryan Hamrick, set up my web store. If you look directly below most of my images you’ll see the words: Buy Print, Buy Card, Download, Share, & eCard. All are quite self-explanatory. If you click any of those links, you will be directed to my FotoMoto web store where you can choose from premium prints, fine-art prints, canvas prints, cards, & downloads. All options are very high quality products.
You can select almost any size print you can think of. Also, the images that will be sent to you will not have the black border or my logo on them. You will get the original image.
Thank you,
- Travis.
Normally, I just post a tweet on Twitter containing people who I think everyone should ‘follow’. I decided it would be more beneficial to post my #followfriday list on my blog and include details about the people. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Hit the break to read my #followfriday list!
Today I am very excited and grateful to share some news with you. A northern Michigan news station came across my website and liked my images. One of their awesome reporters sent me an email asking if I would be interested in doing a special segment on my photography for “Michigan This Morning”…. Read more
It’s that time of year again! The autumn colors are in absolute full swing. The past few days I have been traveling around northeast Michigan attempting to capture the best of the fall colors. The forest is filled with intense yellows, reds, and oranges; the trees are on fire. If you are reading this right now and live…. Read more
