Living in the southern part of Manitoba in the middle of Canada means that in theory there are many opportunities to view the northern lights as they dance above the expansive prairie landscape. Unfortunately most such events seem to have their best displays at three in the morning or tend to be blocked by clouds passing through at just the wrong moment.
Luckily the recent solar storm presented an irresistible chance to experience a powerful aurora borealis display.
Venturing beyond the city limits to escape the urban light pollution, the ghostly and faintly green glimmers of light arching across the sky were immediately apparent. It turns out that plenty of other people had the same idea and the roadsides were full of cars parked on the shoulder with families standing with the eyes to the night sky above.
To the naked eye the colours were barely visible, but luckily the secret of aurora borealis photography is that a digital camera sensor can see the colours much more vividly. Bright greens blended into vibrant pinks and purples, moving subtly and mysteriously with the stars beyond.
A long exposure and steady camera are necessary to capture the depth of colour and movement of the northern lights. It was interesting to experiment with more abstracted, vertical images, focusing on just the lights with no referential landscape or horizon included in the composition.
There are many more artistic and dramatic aurora borealis photos out there, but I appreciate the handful I managed to make as a record of a special memory. Standing at the edge of a dark field with my eyes scanning the sky, pointing the camera at different ghostly beams of light and capturing just a little personal view of an incredible event.
It was deeply enjoyable to be immersed in the feeling of witnessing something that can remind us all of how small yet interconnected we are, as people around the world had a unique opportunity to see this amazing phenomenon with a shared feeling of awe and wonder.
