The first time I saw the Northern Lights, a.k.a. Aurora Borealis, they were dancing across my computer screen as a child. I remember sitting there and just staring at them. Not sure if they were real or fake, only knowing that they looked like magic. When my mother-in-law told me we were going to see them after Christmas I almost died! It was something I had always wanted to do but never knew when I would actually do it! And here I was. I was actually going to get to see these magical lights! For the weeks leading up to our trip to Rovaniemi I prayed and prayed for clear skies. My worst fear was to travel all the way to the Laplands and not be able to see the Northern Lights due to poor weather (which happens more times than not). All I could do was stay positive and manifest clear skies! When the day came the weather was not looking great so I just kept envisioning the perfect night with the lights dancing across the sky – which is exactly what we got! The lights were an amazing thing to witness but very different than I had imagined. They weren’t exactly what I had chalked up in my head for all of those years but the second I saw the first image appear on my camera of those glowing lights, my heart skipped a beat. It was a real life moment I will never forget.
Now for the honesty – People’s first question is always – are they that spectacular in person? And that is tricky – yes and no. Because I shoot a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex camera) camera I am able to slow the shutter speed down for an extended period of time which allows the camera to capture light in a way our eyes will never be able to. Because of that the colors and images you see on your camera is different than the colors and image you see with your naked eye. Meaning, these deep greens and vibrant reds instantly showed up on my camera screen but when I looked up to the sky I only saw a soft green light dancing across the sky. That being said, it is still an unbelievable experience to see this natural light show happening before your eyes. These green lights literally dancing across the sky like they are in fast forward is absolutely a bucket list check! Some nights the greens are more vibrant than others and some nights they don’t dance as fast across the ski. It all depends on the climate and weather!
If the lights are something you are wanting to see I definitely have a lot of tips on shooting them, which I learned the hard way! I plan to post that in the coming weeks so be sure to check back!
