Sometimes things don't go quite according to plan in the outdoor photography world. (Who would have thought it!)
My wife Liz and I are keen aurora watchers, and whenever there's a good chance of photographing this amazing phenomenon here in North Wales at 53ºN, we are up and out to the coast, looking north hopefully out over the Irish Sea.
Such was the case this evening, as we made our way to this amazing overlook above Prestatyn, with a high alert issued for the possibility of witnessing the northern lights.
In terms of light pollution, maybe not the best spot, but with a dark filter fitted over the bottom third of my composition I was able to reduce the brightness of the town's lights sufficiently to enable me to expose for any aurora that might be visible in the skies above.
But on this occasion it was not to be, as the skies remained clear of those pulsating bands of green and magenta that we love to see on my camera's rear screen.
But never mind, as the stars and clouds were putting on a great display overhead, and the light of Prestatyn below, with traffic zooming to and fro, was equally entertaining.
So instead to giving up and heading home, we stayed put while I shot the hundreds of still images needed to create just a few seconds of time lapse video.
Never waste an opportunity, and if Plan A doesn't work out, then go to Plan B!
Filename - prestatyn night timelapse 03
Camera - Canon EOS 6DMK2
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 24mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 10 secs @ f/4, ISO1600
Exposure (end of sequence) - 10 secs @ f/4, ISO1600
Filters - 3 stop neutral density graduated filter used inverted to reduce the brightness of town lights relative to the night sky.
Music - Bach Cello Suite No. 1, G Major, Prelude - Cooper Cannell
Shooting interval - 10 seconds
Location - Overlooking Prestatyn, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K and HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 20 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2023 unless otherwise stated.