First Aurora of the Year

It was –18° Celsius but I could have slept in the snow. I wasn't a bit cold. Being warmly dressed is crucial when you have to wait for the Northern Lights.

I did not plan to wait until mid February before I got the first chance in 2018 to shoot the Northern Lights. But what can you do? Neither sun activity nor cloudy skies are in my control. Waiting for the right conditions is the only thing you can do then. Patience is, in other words, one of the best skills an Aurora photographer can have.

Faint and diffuse Aurora at arrival. Still very beautiful.

I knew the sun had thrown things our way. On Tuesday night the sky was clear at last. I chose the same location where I had shot Majestic, Flying Light and Whipped Green. The view to the north is totally free from light pollution, except for two tiny light houses.

The Northern Lights were visible from the moment I arrived at around 10 pm until I left two and a half hour later. But it only grew in strength a couple of times and it never rose very high over the horizon.

Shot from the same spot on 25 October and 19 February.

I shot it from the exact same spot where I shot Whipped Green in October. Only this time the sea was frozen and covered with snow resulting in very different photos.

Suddenly I got company. Two youngsters came in a car and kept me company. That doesn't happen often, but it was not that late after all. It wasn't even 11 pm.

Next blog post will be about how you can take photos in the darkness with your mobile phone. I took a couple of shots of the Northern Lights but you can use the same method for anything where the phone need some special settings due to darkness.

I would have stayed longer had those clouds (UNDER the Aurora) not appeared. But I figured the best part was over.

My favorite photo this time is this one with the little house. Taken from the bridge an hour later than the photo at the top.