The sky over Juneau (northern lights video) at DVinfo.net

Gabe Strong · February 20th, 2014, 04:40 PM

Here's a little something I made last night that has proved decently popular in my
little town. Due to Facebook and the like over 1300 views in less than 20 hours. Enjoy!

Art Varga · February 20th, 2014, 06:21 PM

Very nice! The northern lights are on my wife's bucket list to see. I'll have to share this with her as we live in NJ and this may be the closest she gets:)

John Nantz · February 20th, 2014, 09:40 PM

Gabe - that was a really nice show.

Near the beginning there was some red-orange sunset on the clouds and this was something we experienced on a boat trip from Tracy Arm while going up to Juneau. Because it was August the sky was clear to the west but from Admiralty Island and to the east there were very similar shaped clouds, probably 10,000 feet. As the sun set it shone it's colors on the underside of the clouds.

Also, the northern lights came through really good. Since they aren't very bright the camera must have had a fast lens. The moon shot was a good touch too.

The music was a good choice and was very fitting with the northern lights.

Great job!

Gabe Strong · February 21st, 2014, 01:02 AM

John,

You did the Tracy Arm trip? That is a pretty neat one. This is a rainforest, and the grey and rain can get old, but when it decides to get nice, I don't think there is a place in the world that is more beautiful.

For the Northern lights, I use the FS700 with a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 lens. There have literally been times where I have had it pointed at the sky and not been able to see the Northern lights with my eyes.....and there they are on the screen on my FS700! For time lapses, you can use a 'smeary' shutter which gives you more light, and boost the ISO a little bit if needed. Works pretty good all in all.

Just another example of how versatile the F700 is.

John Nantz · February 24th, 2014, 01:22 AM

Gabe -

You're right about the rainforest part. What, 280 inches a year? Or something like that, of course that depends where one is. Southeast Alaska covers a lot of area. While we were cruising up there we pretty much lived in rain gear and rubber boots, and this was in the summer.

That is really interesting that it is easier to capture the Northern Lights with a camera than it is to see them with the naked eye. Who woulda thought?

A camera upgrade is on my acquisition list but I don't have time to look for one. Too much work to do.

Here is a shot of the North Fork of the end of Tracy Arm in 2001. For sure, it has receded from where it was then. We cruised the Southeast on a Hunter 35 sailboat and I'm anxious to make another trip.

The one with the snow capped mountains is your back yard - Auk Bay with Mendenhal Glacier. We had three humpback whales dive directly under the boat just a little south of where the picture was taken. Each whale is approx. 45 tons and our boat is a tad over 6 tons. Fortunately they didn't touch us.

We think they were bubble fishing as the female whales with their calves were a little behind them feeding on the disoriented fish.

Gabe Strong · February 25th, 2014, 01:06 AM

John,

I actually live on Mendenhall Lake just a mile or so from Auke Bay...I know where
all your pictures are from!

The FS700 is pretty light sensitive and when you use a F1.8 lens, 'slow' shutter,
and boost the iso a little, it will see what your eyes don't. Not all cameras are the same.
I used to be frustrated when attempting to get video of the northern lights, but many of the
newer large chip cameras are very good in low light.....

I took my brothers fishing boat up to Tracy Arm a few years ago. Nice because we could
stay as long as we wanted and go however close we wanted so I could get shots. Tour
boats have 'safety guidelines' they must follow. Very pretty up there.
Also shot a pilot for The Sportsman Channel this summer at a remote lodge, we had
a whale dive under our little 18 foot boat, so close you could see him in the water
under us. He surfaced on the other side of the boat about 6 or 8 feet from the boat
and I got a great shot of him. I've got lots of good video over the last year or so
with the FS700 and FS100. I'm going to make a BluRay video and release it someday....

February 20th, 2014, 04:40 PM	#1
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	The sky over Juneau (northern lights video) Here's a little something I made last night that has proved decently popular in my little town. Due to Facebook and the like over 1300 views in less than 20 hours. Enjoy! The sky over Juneau on Vimeo

February 20th, 2014, 06:21 PM	#2
Art Varga Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 552	Re: The sky over Juneau (northern lights video). Very nice! The northern lights are on my wife's bucket list to see. I'll have to share this with her as we live in NJ and this may be the closest she gets:) __________________ __________________________________ - Art Varga www.vargaproductions.com

February 20th, 2014, 09:40 PM	#3
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,252	Re: The sky over Juneau (northern lights video) Gabe - that was a really nice show. Near the beginning there was some red-orange sunset on the clouds and this was something we experienced on a boat trip from Tracy Arm while going up to Juneau. Because it was August the sky was clear to the west but from Admiralty Island and to the east there were very similar shaped clouds, probably 10,000 feet. As the sun set it shone it's colors on the underside of the clouds. Also, the northern lights came through really good. Since they aren't very bright the camera must have had a fast lens. The moon shot was a good touch too. The music was a good choice and was very fitting with the northern lights. Great job!

February 21st, 2014, 01:02 AM	#4
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	Re: The sky over Juneau (northern lights video) John, You did the Tracy Arm trip? That is a pretty neat one. This is a rainforest, and the grey and rain can get old, but when it decides to get nice, I don't think there is a place in the world that is more beautiful. For the Northern lights, I use the FS700 with a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 lens. There have literally been times where I have had it pointed at the sky and not been able to see the Northern lights with my eyes.....and there they are on the screen on my FS700! For time lapses, you can use a 'smeary' shutter which gives you more light, and boost the ISO a little bit if needed. Works pretty good all in all. Just another example of how versatile the F700 is.

February 24th, 2014, 01:22 AM	#5
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,252	Re: The sky over Juneau (northern lights video) Gabe - You're right about the rainforest part. What, 280 inches a year? Or something like that, of course that depends where one is. Southeast Alaska covers a lot of area. While we were cruising up there we pretty much lived in rain gear and rubber boots, and this was in the summer. That is really interesting that it is easier to capture the Northern Lights with a camera than it is to see them with the naked eye. Who woulda thought? A camera upgrade is on my acquisition list but I don't have time to look for one. Too much work to do. Here is a shot of the North Fork of the end of Tracy Arm in 2001. For sure, it has receded from where it was then. We cruised the Southeast on a Hunter 35 sailboat and I'm anxious to make another trip. The one with the snow capped mountains is your back yard - Auk Bay with Mendenhal Glacier. We had three humpback whales dive directly under the boat just a little south of where the picture was taken. Each whale is approx. 45 tons and our boat is a tad over 6 tons. Fortunately they didn't touch us. We think they were bubble fishing as the female whales with their calves were a little behind them feeding on the disoriented fish. Attached Thumbnails

February 25th, 2014, 01:06 AM	#6
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	Re: The sky over Juneau (northern lights video) John, I actually live on Mendenhall Lake just a mile or so from Auke Bay...I know where all your pictures are from! The FS700 is pretty light sensitive and when you use a F1.8 lens, 'slow' shutter, and boost the iso a little, it will see what your eyes don't. Not all cameras are the same. I used to be frustrated when attempting to get video of the northern lights, but many of the newer large chip cameras are very good in low light..... I took my brothers fishing boat up to Tracy Arm a few years ago. Nice because we could stay as long as we wanted and go however close we wanted so I could get shots. Tour boats have 'safety guidelines' they must follow. Very pretty up there. Also shot a pilot for The Sportsman Channel this summer at a remote lodge, we had a whale dive under our little 18 foot boat, so close you could see him in the water under us. He surfaced on the other side of the boat about 6 or 8 feet from the boat and I got a great shot of him. I've got lots of good video over the last year or so with the FS700 and FS100. I'm going to make a BluRay video and release it someday....