Aurora borealis in the White Mountains National Recreation Area near Fairbanks, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark III, Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, 13 sec @ f/1.4, ISO 1600.
In reviewing some photos I took in March 2013 during a trip to the White Mountains Recreation Area near Fairbanks, I found this shot that I overlooked for some reason and it was sitting in my outtakes folder. It exhibits a color of the aurora that I don’t see often, the yellow/gold, as opposed to the green. I shot this with the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, at least I’m pretty sure. One of the drawbacks about using some non-Canon lenses is that not all of the Exif data transfers. And I shoot three of those lenses so it can be difficult to know with some overlap of focal length. I generally prefer Canon optics but for the aurora I find myself shooting other glass. These include a Zeiss 21mm f/2.8, the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4. The optical quality of the former two are outstanding and the Rokinon is not quite as good, but has much less “coma” (highlight artifacts in the outer edges of the frame) than the 24mm Canon f/1.4. The aurora photography season is ramping up and I’ll be heading out for weeks of guiding and shooting soon. The aurora is on our hit list so bring on the clear skies!
