FAKE Colors in Northern Lights Photos? The Truth About the Aurora

Are the colors in Northern Lights photos real or fake? In this video, we're going to give you the truth about the colors of the Aurora Borealis
In this video we going to break down the differences between what colors you see in photos and what the camera sees. We'll help you determine truth about if Aurora photos are fake or if the Northern Lights really look this way.
0:00 Intro
0:49 How our eyes work
2:12 How our vision affects what we see in the Aurora
2:34 How the Camera works
2:51 Our eye's shutter vs the camera's shutter
3:18 What about photo editing?
3:51 Pushing things too far/manipulating the colors
4:23 So are the colors in Northern Lights photos fake?
4:51 The camera doesn't lie
5:40 How does the movement look?
6:43 Final thoughts and wrap up
Wanna know more about the colors? Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss next week's video about what causes the colors of the Northern Lights.
If you'd like to see this for yourself, with your very own eyes, be sure to book your trip with us at www.theaurorachasers.com/
And if you want to get really nerdy about what colors our eyes see vs the camera, check out this awesome video on the topic.
vimeo.com/98164898
If you'd like to experience this for yourself, you can join us. Details at www.theaurorachasers.com/
Gear list
Real-Time Northern Lights
Sony a7S II www.adorama.com/l/?searchinfo... a7s ii&sel=Item-Condition_Used-Items?kbid=91164
Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 www.adorama.com/rkcv24mnex.ht...
Atomos Shogun 4K Monitor and Recorder www.adorama.com/atomshg701.ht...
Manfrotto Video Tripod with 502 Head www.adorama.com/bgmvh502ah.ht...
In Studio Gear
Sony a7 III adorama.rfvk.net/jEna0
Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM adorama.rfvk.net/o2XJm
Flashpoint FV200 R2 Hybrid Continuous LED Light and HSS Flash www.adorama.com/fplcffv200.ht...
Godox VL150 www.adorama.com/govl150.html?...
Godox P90L www.adorama.com/gop90l.html?k...
Rapid Box Switch Collapsable Beauty Dish 24" amzn.to/3jzaFzn
Shure SM57 Mic amzn.to/3jDmtR6
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2x2 USB Audio Interface (3rd Generation) www.adorama.com/frams2123g.ht...
ATEM Mini www.adorama.com/bmatemmini.ht...
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#NorthernLights #Aurora #TheAuroraChasers #Truth

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thanks for watching everyone! Let us know if there are topics you'd like to see covered in future videos.

[@PistolStar47.]

Hi how about some Aurora from the Brooks Range? North Slope. Yukon-Koyukuk region. All of the interior and North of Alaska from where you are? Fairbanks is an excellent location for them. We're not sure how far lake laberge is from you but if not too far then maybe their? We just had Aurora in Northern Scotland last week. Jan 2023.

[@bevzvlog5897]

Just got back from our trip to Fairbanks, the KP indez of Aurora was at 6 and so we were able to see the northern lights in bright green, purple and pink vividly.

[@PistolStar47.]

The best Aurora video on the Internet. We saw them in keflavik iceland December 2022. They were grey like you said and white at most. Occasionally the white nearly turned to greenish. However my camera had brilliant green on the same shot. Still magical and a superb arc and dance pattern but generally weak. 10 out of 10 for experience but I was disappointed the Internet and photos online "lied" as you say to the real naked eye event. Here is hoping we can go again and get that magical 10 nights a year where you say the naked eye sees more full colours. Well done on a spectacularly truthfull observation.

[@mrnuthatch7004]

I saw the Aurora for the first time in northern Michigan a few days ago. If I hadn't known that the color was drastically reduced, I would have felt cheated, but since I knew, it made the experience that much better! I think my eyes might be good, because I started seeing the pillars before everyone else. I was even able to see a little red mixed in with my naked eye, even though according to mine and other people's cameras, there wasn't very much red.

[@charmi1220]

I saw the NL in Iceland last Oct. At first I was like "what do you mean they're not bright green?!" That was quickly replaced with "ooh" and "ahh" as the green tinged gray lights began dancing across the sky. Absolutely magical! Oh - and the pics the guide took of the lights behind me...unbelievable! The green was beautiful! :)

[@TheAuroraChasers]

So awesome! And yes, at first, after all the photos we all see, it's seems disappointing. But then when it really takes off... WOW!

[@bearbait2221]

I've lived in Alaska my whole life and seen northern lights with red, green and blue arrow heads shapes like a screen saver. And before a 7.0 earthquake the lights were like florescent office lights that are old and flickering

[@rolsonn]

Thanks, great info, I've photographed the lights twice and seen them several times. Every time I see the dancing lights I feel like a little kid.

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thanks Richard! It really is a magical experience even if we don't "see" what the camera does. :-)

[@MariaGolay]

I had no idea that the Auroras were like that. That is really a cool thing to learn. Have watched your videos for a couple of years now and have ordered a couple of calendars. Just beautiful images. Still my dream to one day see this in person!

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thank you Maria. Both for you past support and for your continued support! We really appreciate it and appreciate your feedback. :-)

[@solareclipsetimer]

Great video! I am traveling to Fairbanks in a week and hope to see the aurora. My specialty is total solar eclipses and part of what he is talking about regarding the inability to see all the colors is called the Purkinje Effect which happens when observing total solar eclipses. Just before our retinas switch to night vision biochemistry, there is a zone of vision called the Mesopic zone (in between photopic/day and scotopic/night vision) This Purkinje Effect occurs during solar eclipses about 2 to 4 minutes before totality when cones stop working well in the low light and rods are starting to take over because it is getting dark enough. In your surroundings, the colors get muted, and everything looks like it has a gray color cast to it. You are actually witnessing the biochemical "switchover." But like cameras and the aurora, you can't photograph the Purkinje Effect, because cameras are not a biological color sensing system. The sensor still sees color in low-light conditions. It's amazing to experience it at an eclipse. Thanks for your great aurora videos!

[@molotovgirl555]

Interesting. thanks for explaining that! So can you see brighter colors the longer that you’re outside in total darkness?

[@solareclipsetimer]

Hi, not exactly. When you dark adapt after being in the dark for a long time, you see better overall, but not colors. The rod cells which are our nighttime vision cells only absorb in one wavelength. So you see better after dark adaptation, but in black and white, not color.@@molotovgirl555

[@-pprct-]

Anyway I live in italy and few times I eventually catched the aurora, one time in Norway (we even saw some pink for some minutes), one time in Iceland (could see a light green but it was moving) and one in UK (just with the camera). This video is very useful for people that don't know what to expect when they're catching Northern lights. Thanks for the explanation I can just add that every time I saw it I've been amazed (:

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thank you PaperCut! Glad you've been able to catch them a few times! :-)

[@arabboyakhmadullaev7914]

Just seen aurora and feel that my whole life was a lie! It is not like in the photos at all!!

[@orglarovin]

VERY good video explaining how we perceive northern lights!!!

[@lynnw-t6062]

So very interesting and informative. Hopefully will be seeing you in October.

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Can't wait!

[@shannondrewelow]

Hi Ron..my question is how do you have your w/b set? Love the tutorials you’ve done. Thank you for passing your knowledge on to us amateurs 💚💜

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thanks Shannon we set custom W/B based on the moon phase. The closer to Full Moon, the closer to daylight we set it.

[@jasmineyew9239]

Thanks very much for your enlightenment 🙏

[@nanecky]

Thank you! I moved to Alaska 3 years ago..we live in Willow so our opportunities to see a night show are fewer than in Fairbanks. We live on a lake so there’s usually a lot of white snow/ice when the Aurora is out and that’s what I see..a white Aurora..occasionally it’s green hued and rarely a brilliant green with red or violet..I asked about this in a Facebook group and was told we have too much light pollution...we couldn’t be farther away from any light source so how could that be? Now I get it..I have a Nikon digital and a tripod..this year I Am going to figure out how to use it..thanks again for the explanation so nice to know I’m not color blind!

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thank you Nancy and I'm so glad this helped you sort out what was going on. Hope you get some great shows and stay tuned as we'll be coming out with videos to help with the camera parts in the future.

[@Patphoto44]

I was surprised to see your grey version of the lights. When I've seen them with my eyes, I definitely saw green or other colors. I was lucky enough to see the corona overhead in Maine on that spectacular Halloween display back in 2003. I was first alerted to it when I saw a purple pillar rising from the ocean.

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Very cool and that was the rare exception.

[@RedCloudBeechWaveAhh]

This is really helpful, thank you!

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mjcamposyt]

Congrats for the awesome video!!!

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thank you my friend! :-)

[@charlottewatkins2549]

A little disappointed that you don’t see all that color w/the naked eye but still hope to go back to Alaska again! Thanks for the very informative video.

[@mauriceaustin3442]

The Northern lights are a dream. I have seen them with my own eyes 1 time and was in awe, in Idaho. Beautiful. One of my bucket list items is to come do a tour with you all.Some day. Till then keep the videos coming and Thank you for taking the time to make them

[@TheAuroraChasers]

We are looking forward to it Maurice! Thanks for taking the time to comment and encourage us. It's help push us to keep these coming. :-)

[@MariaGolay]

You are so lucky to have seen them. I feel the exact same way... It is one of my biggest dreams is to see these in person.. Maybe one day!

[@camillanielsen9437]

Thx👏💥very interesting info🇸🇪

[@-pprct-]

Please keep posting! Subscribed (:

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thank you so much! We'll keep 'em coming! :-)

[@annablomma79]

Thank you this was very interesting ive just seen two nights of the northern lights in sweden and it was my first time 😊 i feel BLESSED ❤

[@TheAuroraChasers]

So cool!

[@chrisblack8390]

Thank you. I wondered about that. I could always see them dancing but I didn't see all the bright colors. MERRY CHRISTMAS AN HAPPY NEW YEAR. PRAY FOR FREEDOM!!!!

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Happy holidays!

[@jaymzthrasher]

That's completely right. And, maybe our eyes are cheating us, but still shooting auroras is lots of fun. Sometimes we can be rewarded with bright colours too and then it feels like it is all completely worth spending the time and freezing to the bone. Processing is another thing. Oversaturated pictures look for me totally wrong, it all has to balanced well. I do always match the RGB histograms to get a real black and white. Then I can boost saturation a bit. Sometimes we also have to...desaturate - and this means the show kicked ass 😄 Thanks for great explanation, worth sharing to the noobies ;)

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thanks Kristoffer. And yes, it's unfortunate that some feel the need to over-embellish. It certainly makes folks feel a little robbed when they finally see it themselves and are expecting the radioactive colors they see commonly posted to social sites.

[@sully8317]

so basically the stronger the activity the more brighter they will be to the naked eye.

[@darshshah79]

I plan to see the northern lights in 2025 - high season for the solar cycle I will be 22 then and old enough to do what I want - The northern lights have been my dream to see. I’m currently In Europe so I think I will visit Tromso in Norway 🇳🇴 to see the northern lights- but one day I’d love to visit Fairbanks!

[@oriolesfan129]

Take me to the Arctic Circle in the dead of winter.

[@radupopescu9977]

I dislike other's (I mean of course, enhanced or altered!) photos, because I never enhance or alter my photos and if the pictures doesn't look as I saw the real scene, that pictures it's a bad picture, at least for me. Of course there bad pictures because of bad exposure, or because of moving, etc. but I don't refer at this kind of bad pictures. If with my naked eyes I see something different than I see in the picture, that's a bad picture (from my point of view of course).

[@highadventur]

I've seen then Green and Pink with my own eyes.

[@oriolesfan129]

So the human eye cannot see any color other than green and does the Aurora move naturally like in videos?

[@douglange2373]

The human eye is more sensitive to green. Green will excite cones in the eye that are receptive to long and medium wavelengths, while blue only excites short wavelength receptive cones and red long wavelength receptive cones. Yes, the Aurora moves naturally. I've also seen the Aurora burst through the sky so quickly and bright that my camera couldn't keep up with the intensity. That's when you step away from the camera and enjoy the magnificent show!

[@TheAuroraChasers]

When the purples happen, they are bright enough for our cones to pick out very well. As Doug mentioned, the dimmer greens are what we typically see and generally with our rods so we don't see the colors. In regards to the movement, that depends on if you're seeing timelapse (which is more common) or real-time video. But yes, they move exactly like you see in our real-time videos on a good night. On the nights with less motion, we tend to focus on still photography. I believe you're already subscribed but just in case, explore our channel for some of that real-time and subscribe to see more as we publish it. :-)

[@TheAuroraChasers]

@@douglange2373 Well said!

[@forgottenuts]

Fuckin nailed it Bru

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Thanks a fuckin million Bru! 😂

[@forgottenuts]

@@TheAuroraChasers hahahaa

[@kevincantrelle1647]

I really wanna see the northern lights but I can't

[@TheAuroraChasers]

Sorry to hear that. Hope that changes. But to hold you over, we have loads of videos of them here on our channel. Please feel free to explore and we'll keep them coming.

[@420van01]

Your video explanation doesn't really go into how people can "fake" colours in doing aurora photography.