Farmers Image of the Week: Photographing the Aurora Borealis on the Isle of Skye
FARMERS IMAGE OF THE WEEK
Oli and Steph Prince
Farmers Image of the Week: Photographing the Aurora Borealis on the Isle of Skye
Our latest Farmers Image of the Week comes from the talented duo, Oli and Steph, who specialise in elopement photography on the Isle of Skye. This breathtaking photograph was taken during a recent elopement when the aurora borealis made a surprise appearance, transforming an already special day into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The image is a stunning example of how seizing unexpected opportunities can elevate wedding photography to new heights. The couple, standing serenely against the dramatic backdrop of the Isle of Skye’s rugged landscape, is beautifully illuminated under the celestial glow of the northern lights. The contrast between the couple’s formal attire and the wild, natural setting creates a striking visual that is both romantic and awe-inspiring.
Oli and Steph nailed the composition here. The couple is perfectly placed against the dramatic backdrop of the Isle of Skye, with the northern lights stealing the show above them. The low angle adds a sense of grandeur, with a stark contrast between the couple in their formal wedding outfits and the wild landscape.
Capturing the aurora isn’t easy, but Oli and Steph have managed it perfectly, keeping the details crisp and the exposure just right. The couple stands out sharply against the softer backdrop, showing their skill at judging the balance of highlighting both the sky and the couple.
Hats off to Oli and Steph for turning a beautiful wedding day into an unforgettable experience for this couple. This photo is a perfect example of harnessing nature’s gifts but not letting a spectacle overwhelm the composition. This image is still a wedding portrait, albeit a truly extraordinary one.
THE DETAILS
CAMERA: Canon R6 | Canon EF 35mm f1.4
SETTINGS: ISO 6400 | f 1.4| 1 second
PRESET: Own Preset
“It was a magical end to their day. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! “
We were driving our couple back to their car after sunset photographs for their elopement, when we saw the sky lighting up in green and red in front of us.
It was very unexpected, as although we knew that northern lights were likely that night, as we live so far north on the Isle of Skye, we weren’t expecting for them to be visible until 1 am as the sun goes down so late here in May, and hovers just below the horizon.
It was only 11 pm though and there they were! We have never seen them so visible to the naked eye and they were across the entire sky! We stopped the car and got some shots of the couple on the road, and then carried on to where their car was at Sligachan below the Cuillin mountains, which we knew would make a better backdrop.
When we arrived the aurora was still going crazy and we were directly below a corona and could see light beams coming down from the sky in all directions, so we walked the couple out to a spot where the Cuillin mountains were behind them and got them to stand as still as possible so we could take a long exposure and capture them with the lights behind them.
It was a magical end to their day, and we didn’t finish until 2 am but it was so worth it! It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
THE TECH TALK
Farmers Image of the Week: Photographing the Aurora Borealis on the Isle of Skye
Photographing the aurora with a couple is quite challenging and this shot is far from perfect. Ideally you would make a composite image with the couple sharp and then another with the sky sharp, and blend them together in post processing. We didn’t have a tripod with us, so we decided to manually focus on the couple (which you can do by shining a torch on them to focus) and allowed the background to be softer.
For aurora shots, you need a high ISO due to the lack of light, and in this case we only used a 1-second exposure as the aurora was very bright. Sometimes you’ll need a much longer exposure to capture all of the colour, but this needs to be balanced against your couple being able to stand still for long enough.
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