{"items":["5f509a374e0e8500175b7c0c","5ef1bc1dbe68ee0017bca5ed","5ea00060355e340017cb39bd"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":5,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":26,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":65,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(130,172,177,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":26,"externalInfoWidth":0.65},"container":{"width":300,"galleryWidth":305,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
A Major Failure
This is going to be embarrassing but I have decided to tell the story of my recent failure.
I constantly check Aurora forecasts and weather forecasts so I’ll be ready to capture more Northern Lights with my camera whenever the chance appears. There have been a very active Aurora period since the season started in late August but it has also been cloudy for the most part. I have only been able to shoot one Aurora each month.

One Aurora per month so far.
I was starting to wonder if the sky ever would clear up this month, but on the 24th it did. I check the night sky several times every night and on Friday at 10pm it was clear and the sky was decorated with fairly strong Northern Lights. I hurried to get dressed very warmly as usual and was ready in 15 minutes and drove to the nearest dark place with no light pollution to the north. That’s a 10 minute drive from my home. Or maybe only 8 minutes this time …
As I arrived the Northern Lights were vivid and literally dancing before my eyes. It looked like the sky was on fire. A green and red fire. Breathtakingly beautiful. The kind of Northern Lights you would want a visitor to see who has never seen the Northern Lights.
As quickly as I possibly could I got my camera on the tripod and started working with the settings when I realized my battery was empty. I always have an extra battery in my bag so I put that into the camera. And then … I saw that my second battery was empty too! That has never ever happened to me before in such a critical moment. I simply could not believe how it could have happened. I alwasy recharge an empty battery as soon as I can.
So what did I do now? Well, one of the batteries had just enough power to let me take a few photos before the camera died.

Novermber Aurora dancing.
But after that there was only one thing to do. Go home and recharge. I drove home and felt very disappointed. But I had no one but myself to blame. I just hoped for the Northern Lights to stay or reappear so I would be able to shoot them after recharging.

Hiding behind clouds again.
I came back one hour later and the Aurora was hidden behind clouds again. But I saw a clear sky to the south and decided to wait and see. I drank some hot chocolate and tried to get some sleep while waiting. At 00:55 I woke up to a much clearer sky and a visible Aurora. But nothing like it had been earlier that night.
I took a series of still photos for a timelapse film. But more clouds came in and I had to admit defeat.
Lesson learned: always check your batteries and be ready at all times.
Timelapse of the Aurora hiding behind the clouds.
My best shot from the evening (one of the two that I managed to take before power failure) is now available in my webshop. Click the ”Temporarily in the shop” category.