Our Aurora Safari

So I have finally--finally!--started going through some of my Northern Lights photos.  Well, maybe not all of them yet, but I might have skipped ahead to at least some of these.

Our Aurora Safari was toward the end of our Norway trip, leaving out of our northernmost stop in Tromsø, 200 miles north of the Artic Circle, to drive even further north up into the mountains  With our booking voucher in hand, we found our pick-up point and were welcomed on to our bus where we waited for our remaining party members.  They gave us a reflective slap bracelet, some instructions, and a sign in sheet before we closed up the door and watched a video about the Aurora Borealis, what it is and why.  A drive later, we bundled up into the thermal suits--or as I prefer to call them, "Marshmallow Suits." 

Whenever I'm at a concert or a fireworks show or any other kind of event, I scoff at least a little inside when I see someone recording through their phone for the entirety of the event.  It seems that in some ways it's more important to be seen having fun that to actually have it.  There are some people, therefore, that only experience everything through a screen, even when they are present.  I want to tell these people to stop documenting and start experiencing. 

But this time, I found I had to eat my words.

While we managed to find clear skies, the activity was still low.  Andy and I stared up at the sky and saw streaks in the sky of grey streaked with a bit of green, looking almost like clouds against the stars.  It was decidedly there, but not as brilliantly as maybe it could have been, and I'll admit that was a little disappointing. 

However, a part of that information sheet we were given upon boarding was a specific section regarding camera settings and our guides certainly knew how to get us on the right path.  We figured out the loaned tripod, fumbling around in the dark or by the headlights of our bus.  The first few were blurry, sure, but once we started honing down on the focus and all else, then the color and context started to become clear.  The camera picked up more of the color and the brilliance that we could with the naked eye.  Soon, we had a cluster of people behind us that would hold their breath with us, waiting the eight seconds for the shutter to finish so we could collectively admire the colors in the latest picture. 

This time, seeing through a screen was the best way to have and share the experience.  Please, enjoy!

And this one was taken by our guide with his camera.