Aurora Borealis – Hunting for the Northern Lights

by Stefan Liebermann April 25, 2018

In February 2018 we headed to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Well equipped with fast fixed focal lengths, we hoped to get fantastic shots of the famous Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.

Having just arrived, disappointment immediately followed: the entire sky was covered by a thick, gray layer of clouds. We didn't allow ourselves to be intimidated and tried to make the best of this situation. The aim was to explore the Lofoten and discover interesting photo opportunities. Of course, the world-famous fishing village of Hamnøy couldn't be missed. At sunrise the sun even appeared briefly and gently illuminated this idyllic scene.

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

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 and swallowing one wave after the other. When the extreme cold makes operation almost impossible and then a heavy storm of rain and wind whips into your face. Fantastic! This is exactly when you feel in harmony with nature! After that, my camera needed several days of recovery time in the drying rice bath.

Unfortunately the weather remained very cloudy until the last day. This was then rung in with a beautiful sunrise at the harbor town of Reine. The perfect time for a panorama.

On the very last evening the time had finally come. After what seemed like an eternity of looking in the wrong direction, we turned around and there they were... Our first Northern Lights! What a fantastic and memorable moment. Craziness! An open aperture enables short exposure times at night and thus a sharp representation of wildly pulsating northern lights while maintaining low ISO values. At 4 a.m. sharp we made our way to the airport without any sleep. Just happy to have experienced at least one night of the Northern Lights.

Thank you Riccardoschläger and Robin Köhler for this lovely trip.

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