Most of the day trip to Djupavik and back was under overcast skies. Skies started clearing on the return trip to Saeberg. As the sun dropped in the evening sky, I knew that we would have a spectacular evening. Looking south along the fjord, the moon was lit by the setting sun. Spectacular!
Moonrise Over Fjord, Saeberg
At the hostel, just as the sun was setting, we were talking about northern lights. I then looked out of the window, and there were the lights. That was the signal for all of us to head outside! I made this image looking out from the east side of the hostel, where the lights filled the frame.
Northern Lights, Saeberg, No 1
I grabbed my Fuji, that had a 12mm lens attached and headed out to the west side of the hostel, looking out over the fjord. The lights swept up vertically above in this image.
Northern Lights, Just After Sunset, Saeberg
There was still plenty of light remaining from the sunset, just above the horizon. It was most unusual to see the northern lights with such a bright sky!
For exposure settings, the first image was made at 640 ISO, 20 seconds, f/5.6 with a 24mm lens on full-frame sensor. The second image was made at 800 ISO, 30 seconds, f/5.6 with a 12mm lens on APC sensor. During previous visits to Iceland, I made images at 400 ISO, 20 seconds, f/5.0 with 24mm on full-frame sensor. The key to making these images is to use an exposure of no longer than 20 seconds. A wider lens would allow longer exposures without star trails.
These images really made for another great day in Iceland.