Interesting Photo of the Day: Northern Lights Over Jökulsárlón

Interesting Photos

We’ve become too used to seeing vibrant images of the amazing aurora borealis. The colorful shows that the northern lights put on are simply breathtaking. Who would’ve thought that an image of a phenomenon that is best known for its colors could look equally good with the colors almost stripped away? That’s the case with this photo by Joe Clarke:

“Northern Lights Over Jökulsárlón, Iceland” by Joe Clarke (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

Clarke took the image at Jökulsárlón, a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland. The image is an 8-second exposure that he took with his Canon 5D Mark III at 16mm, f/2.8, ISO 2000.

It is amazing to see how Clarke created such a phenomenal image with a minimalist look and editing. The desaturated colors give an almost alien feel to the environment. Also, by slightly increasing the exposure on the lights, he has drawn a viewer’s attention directly to it. The lack of colors does absolutely no injustice to the aurora borealis.

“Just started by upping the exposure and shadows a touch, then the contrast and clarity before lowering the saturation almost to black and white before sliding the white balance a bit till I was happy. “