Daily Nature Fix: Milky Way, with a side of Northern Lights. (Original Photos)

Good evening, Steemit. Tonight's Daily Nature Fix was inspired by this post (https://steemit.com/photography/@nords/2017-geminid-meteor-shower-original-pictures-from-the-desert-pt-2-saved-the-best-for-last) by @nords. If ya got a minute, check it out. It's some awesome photography of his that he took in the desert during the Geminid meteor shower. It made me want to look back at some of my nighttime photography that I haven't really done much with since I took it all.

These photos were taken on our trip to Iceland last month. On our 3rd and 4th night there, the northern nights were somewhat active. The first night was sort of a bust because we had pretty heavy cloud cover. The second night, however, was awesome as the skies were crystal clear and the lights were even MORE active than the night before. These photos were taken around 3am and the lights were dying down quite a bit... but the Milky Way isn't as visible in the photos from earlier in the night when the aurora was much stronger.

My friend @lakeshorebrewery actually got me into this kind of long-exposure photography through on of his older Steemit posts. This one, to be exact: https://steemit.com/photography/@lakeshorebrewery/new-hobby I got a lot of tips and pointers from him that I used in Iceland and in Cherry Springs State Park here in PA, a national 'dark park'. I also learned a lot about how to process the images from the incredibly talented @joleenwillis, AND a couple other tricks of the trade from my brother @kommienezuspadt. The last two are both professional photographers... they're some good company to keep when you're a hobbyist trying to improve your skill, like myself!

This last one was a closer up photo where I zoomed the lens into the Milky Way a bit more. I wish I know how to upload it in as high of a resolution as it looks in photoshop! lol The amount of stars is insane. Pretty much, the whole country of Iceland is pitch black once you get away from Reykjavik... aside from the occasional small village or greenhouse. I didn't even know some of the green Aurora lights snuck into the bottom of the shot until I cleaned it up on tonight. Neat!

Thanks for reading! I post a nature-themed Daily Nature Fix blog every day. Please upvote if you enjoyed it and resteem if you found it especially interesting! Be sure to follow me @customnature so you'll never miss out on your nature fix! See you tomorrow. - Adam

*** These daily blogs showcase the natural world. It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels. ***