Second night out shooting auroras. This time I only stayed out just after midnight and didn’t even leave my house until about 10:15. As mentioned in a previous post, I was planning to drive out to Two Rivers for photos, but the auroras EXPLODED before I could make it out there so I stopped at Birch Hill, then Hagelberger and finally stopped at Weller Elementary before deciding I was tired and didn’t want to be out until 4am two night in a row.
There are 72 photos from this night, none are perfectly in focus, but these are my favorite photos from this night included here.  More in my gallery at http://www.perlgurl.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=7461
Birch Hill Road, Jan 3-4, 2015
Birch Hill Road, Jan 3-4, 2015
Hagelberger Road, Jan 3-4, 2015
Hagelberger Road, Jan 3-4, 2015
Weller Elementary, Jan 3-4, 2015
Weller Elementary, Jan 3-4, 2015
Weller Elementary, Jan 3-4, 2015
Before going out I had gone to our local camera place to see if I could get some help with focusing on stars, since that is what is important for shooting auroras. Neither Candy nor myself could get the stars to focus the night before (yes, we read the manual, yes we had the right setting for auroras, yes, we tried _that_ too, whatever you are thinking!). I thought maybe my lens was broken since it just spun around and around without a stopping point. Turns out that is how the lens works. But the lens, even though it is a wide-angle lens, just won’t get me what I need for auroras. Plus the dang thing was set on autofocus for manual settings in the MENU (who decided to put a setting like that in a menu and not on the lens is not a good user-interface person in my book!). Don’t get me wrong, the a3000 is a nice camera for entry level photography and the telescopic lens it came with in addition to the wide-angle lens was apparently a SUPER good deal, but it won’t focus on stars with what I’ve got which is what I want to do. I would need a better lens, but to get that lens I need to get an adapter for the a3000 plus buy a lens which could easily run $500 and if I’m going to spend that much money then I’m going to step up to a Sony 5100 or 6000. Not a full frame camera like the one Candy had rented the night before that took AMAZING photos, but it will focus at least! At least once I learn how to help it focus. So I’m going to return this camera and upgrade the body and get a decent lens.
I’m learning how to layer properly too. Tried different pants each night, and different boots too. So far I’m staying warm except for my feet. The first night I wore some boots that are supposed to be rated for -20 and though it was cold and windy that night, I don’t think it was quite that cold. The second night I wore my Sorels and it was -13 when I left my house downtown and my temp gauge changes from -19 to -1 during my driving around. Being on hills like where Weller is at is warmer for sure! I’ve got about four layers on top and my warmest jacket is a beast to zipper, but I do stay warm. Eventually I’d like to figure out a slightly more streamlined way of dressing so I don’t feel like Ralphie’s brother in the movie “A Christmas Storyâ€, but it works for now!
The short version of this story is that tonight was just practice. Learning to frame, dealing with being outside in the cold by myself, etc. Which explains why most of these photos are not focused properly too. Â When I get a better camera that can do what I need it to, then I expect to have more fun!