Sleeping Bear Dunes Overlook #9 view of Aurora Borealis & Lake Michigan

This image was taken from the side of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Overlook in the sand, looking northwest toward South Manitou Island. By car from Empire, take M22 north for 2 miles. Turn left onto M109, which you'll follow for 1.3 miles. Turn left to enter the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. If the drive is open, follow the drive until you're at the #9/10 destination. Follow the trail behind the outhouses up to the dunes. Continue on the boardwalks until you arrive at the viewing platform. If the Scenic Drive gates are closed, park in the lot near the entrance and begin walking the drive. At the fork, take a left, walking the drive in reverse order now. Walk the road until you come to the #9/10 stop.

Although signs indicate that the drive is closed each night, it will only be closed during the seasonal closure — which is November through April. Aurora is very hard to predict, but there is an uptick in activity in October.

Aurora can only been seen when there isn't much competing light. A night with no moon or a crescent moon will yield stronger aurora than a full moon night, though you are unlikely to get to choose. Use a site like www.softservenews.com to determine if aurora are likely.

Beware of porcupines in the dunes May through June when they seem to be busiest. They are slow, will sit in the trail and might not run from you.

Keep in mind that your camera sees the aurora much differently than the human eye. To see it with your eyes, give yourself about 20 minutes to adjust to the low light and keep an eye on the northern horizon. If the northern lights are very active, it will be obvious, but if not, look for a milky glow low in the sky. This will still photograph quite vibrantly.

Try positioning the overlook platform in the lower right corner for strong leading lines.

Use an ultra-wide lens (this was 11.5mm on a crop body) with a wide aperture (f/2.8), a high ISO (2000 here) and a long exposure (30 seconds) to capture as much light as possible.

If you're already out for aurora shots, consider checking out North Bar Lake and Esch Beach. North Bar may be calm enough for reflections, while Esch Beach features a creek entering Lake Michigan at its south end.