Aurora Borealis – On the hunt for the Northern Lights

by Stefan Liebermann April 25, 2018

In February 2018 we made our way to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Well equipped with fast prime lenses, we hoped for fantastic shots of the famous Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.

Freshly arrived, the disappointment immediately followed: the entire sky was covered by a thick, gray layer of clouds. We were not intimidated by this and tried to make the best of this situation. The goal was to explore Lofoten and discover interesting photo opportunities. Of course, the world-famous fishing village of Hamnøy was not to be missed. At sunrise, the sun even appeared for a short time and gently illuminated this idyllic scenery.

We wanted to get a glimpse of the monumentality of Lofoten. What's the best way to do this? From the air, of course. The characteristic fishing villages of Hamnøy and Reine, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, can be seen during the setting sun. Huge!

I found extreme conditions on the coast of Vareid. My element! When you and your camera are completely soaked and frozen, standing on the icy rock at the very front of the roaring Atlantic Ocean and swallowing one wave after the other. When the extreme cold makes it almost impossible to operate and then a violent storm whips rain and wind in your face. Fantastic! That's when you'll feel in tune with nature! After that, my camera needed several days to recover in the drying rice bath.

Unfortunately, the weather remained cloudy until the last day. This was then heralded with a beautiful sunrise at the harbour town of Reine. The perfect time for a panorama.

On the very last evening, the time had finally come. After looking in the wrong direction for what felt like an eternity, we turned around and there they were... Our first Northern Lights! What a fantastic and memorable moment. Insanity!  An open aperture allows for short exposure times at night and thus a sharp representation of wildly pulsating auroras at low ISO values. Punctually at 4 o'clock in the morning we made our way to the airport without sleep. Just happy to have experienced the Northern Lights for at least one night.

Thank you Riccardo Schläger and Robin Köhler for this nice trip.

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