Shooting Aurora Borealis...just do it!

I first saw pictures of an Aurora on G+. It was Arild Heitmann, who enchanted me with his beautiful pictures of Northern Lights… On this point it was completely clear to me I want see these phenomena with my own eyes and if possible make a picture of an Aurora.

I started my search on the internet… Actually it’s a pretty easy matter:  one has to fly to some point north of the Arctic Circle…that’s all… and so did I…I choose Abisko in Sweden. As Abisko’s location is 195 km north of the Arctic Circle, summer hikers enjoy the midnight sun, while winter visitors may find the light pollution-free location ideal for viewing the aurora borealis.

I took a flight to Kiruna over Stockholm. It was a nightmare flight. First we got more than 2 hours delay in Munich, because the water for the toilets on our plain was frozen.  So they heated the cabin to defrost them…. However some two hours later we started to Stockholm. In Stockholm I was happy to catch my connecting flight to Kiruna but my luggage did not… it was in Stockholm to get the next flight some five hours later to Kiruna.  After short discussion with the stewardess from SAS I could convince her to send my luggage with a cub to Abisko, where I stayed for 3 nights, in the same night.

On my trip from Kiruna to Abisko I saw the full moon rising on the horizon… I never saw something like this. The moon was orange and as big as the sun before the sunset on the horizon…I was upset because of my luggage and didn’t make a picture as I thought I have three more moonrises to see the next days… That was a big mistake.  It was the only moon-rise I saw in Lapland on this trip.

When you fail do not miss the lesson. And here is my lesson for me and for you:  

Never miss an opportunity as it may never come again…Just do it right now!

I couldn’t sleep this night as I was afraid to miss the call from the taxi-driver…poor me…

Next day right after breakfast I took my cams (the D3S with a 24mm f1,4 lens on it and the  D300s with a 70-200mm f2,8 lens on it) and started my hunting for subjects… 

The Abisko National park offers several places worth seeing, the most spectacular being the Abisko Canyon. Here the Abisko River has buried itself deep down at the bottom and formed 20 m high walls. 

The frozen waterfalls not far from the tourist station a closer view:

Abisko is particularly well known for its mountain flora that includes such flowers as very rare orchids in the park, which I understandably did not see…One of the most recognized natural sights is Lapporten (the gate to Lapland), a U-shaped valley visible from Abisko. 

The next picture of Lapporten, from my point of view considered to be one of my best pictures I made in Lapland.... What a cloud veil, what a light!

Abisko is also located nearby the 330 square kilometers (130 sq mi) lake Torneträsk. Next Picture show you  a View of the downhill course from Abisko Sky station  over the frozen lake Torneträsk in front of you and Lapporten on the right side. In the distance, where the clouds end  is Kiruna with the largest iron mine in Europe.

On the evening I started to the Abisko Sky station, considered to be one of the best places in the world to see Northern Lights…assumed one can see the sky. …and that was not the case this evening…unfortunately… Believe me or not I started to pray on this evening “O dear Lord why do you do this to me… I've always respected you… Show me the sky please and some Auroras as well” After having my dinner at the sky station with the corresponding vines (warmly recommended!!!)  I went out and saw this Picture…

Can you imagine how I felt on this night???  As with a magic wand the sky got clear... Thank you my Lord!

What come are Northern Lights. In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis (or the northern lights), named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas.

It was huge ... One need at least 18mm-lens to capture all this... I've already ordered my Nikon 14-24mm  f2,8... to late for this trip...but I'll come back soon...

Discrete aurorae often display magnetic field lines or curtain-like structures, and can change within seconds or glow unchanging for hours, most often in fluorescent green.

The aurora borealis most often occurs near the equinoxes. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree call this phenomenon the "Dance of the Spirits".

You want to witness the glory of nature??? Just take a bit of time and fly to the Arctic Circle...an do not forget to pray...I don't know if it helps...but it doesn't hurt anyway...

February, 2012 

Nedko