The test images revealed a thin veil of clouds and a very bright moon. Hopes of capturing the northern lights were slim, but there is rarely a time that I NEVER try. Driving north I found clearer skies. Just settling in to wait and have a bite of dinner, a pink pillar shot up before my eyes! The gear was in place, and with ten second exposures I was able to obtain two images that contained those pretty pink spires.
ISO: 1600; ƒ/2.8 @ 16mm for 10 seconds
A few moments later, the green bow stretched across the horizon, hanging in place for a good half an hour. Both of these images were made along the ice road on Shagawa Lake in Ely, Minnesota, and both were visible to the naked eye, even with the very bright moonlight.
ISO: 800; ƒ/2.8 @ 16mm for 8 seconds
Both images photographed January 31, 2015