Hello and good evening.

I posted some new photos on Flickr this morning and a few hours after that, I got a mail from Der Spiegel in Deutschland (Germany) with an inquiry to use my photos on their website

They are all taken last evening, in INSANELY northern light showing off their colours!

So now I can say I was published on an international, large website

Here are a few of my little set of northern light-pictures:


Self portrait, 15 sec exposure
f/1.9
ISO 800
Pentax FA 43mm Limited
(Had 4-5 different versions with running back and forth and poses before I finally ended up with the compositional and artistic photography result I had in mind.)

Version 2, with a little less noise reduction and bringing out some more light in the skies:




Andenes, upper town.
13 sec exposure
f/2.0
ISO 800
Same lens


25 sec exposure
ISO 800
Same lens

The set on Flickr:
Aurora Borealis - a set on Flickr

My pictures on Der Spiegel:
Skandinavien: Sonnensturm l



Cheers!

[joe.penn]

Awesome Pics! The self portrait one looks a little too "de-noised" but I think it goes good with that pic (the smooth de-noised look that is) - that one may be worthy of a wall print

[charliezap]

Very nice captures Tom.It must have been awesome to be there.--charliezap

[Larsenio]

Very nice captures Tommy.It must have been awesome to be there.--charliezap

Thank you so much, and thanks joe.penn as well :ugh:

Yes, I really, absolutely HATE noise showing above ISO800 on my K20d.
So I often noise-reduce too much...
And since it`s been captured at the widest possible aperture on that lens, the sharpness is so-so.
But hey, it`s a start, right?

Can`t wait to get out and capture the aurora, next time I`ve got the possibility to do so.

Tommy.

[Docrwm]

Amazing photos. I just wish we'd been able to see the lights. The Weather Channel wrote:

A solar radiation storm struck the Earth on the morning of Tuesday, January 24. This storm was a product of a solar flare which erupted from the surface of the Sun on Sunday, January 22.

The storm helped to trigger the aurora borealis over the northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.* As always, the Northern Lights did not disappoint in its colorful performance. At one point, there was a chance that the northern latitudes of the United States (and even the parts of the southern U.S.) would be able to take in the the show.* However, the show was predominately confined to northern Canada and northern Europe; particulary Scandanavia.

[Larsenio]

Thanks for that useful information, Docrwm!
And thanks for kind words.

Yes, it was truly magical up here...


After posting the original topic, "The atlantic" based in DC, have contacted me for an enquiry of the photos.

Yes, I did give them the permission to post my pictures on their website

Tommy.

[Bob Harris]

great shots, would love to see in person.

[dcmsox2004]

always been mesmerized by these amazing light shows... beautiful captures here.... the recent solar flare has really been quite the event .. dave m

[dadipentak]

Yeah the first shot shows the side effects of NR but I think it's a terrific image.

[Larsenio]

Yeah the first shot shows the side effects of NR but I think it's a terrific image.

Yeah, it now looks like it`s been captured with a Canon-camera

No, you`re right. Seems I`ve been doing quite a bit too much pp here. I will try to fix it this evening an post an updatet version as an alternative.

Thanks again for the kind words.



Tommy

[KevinR]

Very nice, and all beautiful captures.

I'll be heading for Kirkenes->Bergen around middle March. Hopefully activity and light still good at that time. This is one of my dreams..

[ogunturkay]

Congratulations dear Larsen, your shots are great. Greetings...

[dadipentak]

No, you`re right. Seems I`ve been doing quite a bit too much pp here. I will try to fix it this evening an post an updatet version as an alternative.

I think you misunderstood me--I'm saying I like it. True, it doesn't have the perfect clarity we tend to strive for but I( don't regard that as a defect. Maybe it's because some of my photos (particularly the high iso basketball shots) have a "painterly" feel due to my ham-handed NR, but I think there is a certain charm to that effect. In the same way we value "grain" or other effects in some photos, I think there's a place for the aesthetic feel that results from the use of NR tools.

[Larsenio]

Very nice, and all beautiful captures.

I'll be heading for Kirkenes->Bergen around middle March. Hopefully activity and light still good at that time. This is one of my dreams..

There`s a fair chance of seeing Aurora all of the winter, this year due to the heavy solar activity.
So good luck, hope you`ll be satisfied with the ship The specific company having this cruises is called "Hurtigruten".
Here you can see where these 11 ships are right now: Skipene nå - hurtigruten.no
Which one are you going to travel with?

Congratulations dear Larsen, your shots are great. Greetings...

Thanks, really kind of you

I think you misunderstood me--I'm saying I like it. True, it doesn't have the perfect clarity we tend to strive for but I( don't regard that as a defect. Maybe it's because some of my photos (particularly the high iso basketball shots) have a "painterly" feel due to my ham-handed NR, but I think there is a certain charm to that effect. In the same way we value "grain" or other effects in some photos, I think there's a place for the aesthetic feel that results from the use of NR tools.

I understand, it`s just that your comment made me aware of that plastic-look and I tried to edit it to look just a tad more natural, and I`ve brightened the sky just a little at the same time; please tell me if it`s looking better or worse?
Btw, thanks

Here`s the link to "the Atlantic", where my pictures now are found :
The Sky Is on Fire! Your Complete Visual Guide to the Northern Lights - Rebecca J. Rosen - Technology - The Atlantic

Mine being Tommy Bergseth-Larsen, with a direct link to my Flickr-page when clicking the name.

(Lovely, my first "real" North light-pics and they end up in two large magazine`s websites abroad! My first foreign publishing )

[Frogfish]

Great shots !

I hope you charged Der Spiegel something for using your shots and retained your copyright ? It is quite disgusting nowadays how the large newspapers / magazines / TV stations ask people for the right to print / publish / use their photos for free , when the shooter expended a lot of money (camera/lenses/travel) to get them in the first place, and then the magazine/newspaper financially profits from them.