Nature is a beautiful place and in these hard times when everything seems kinda sad and dull, it’s always nice to look at some amazing things. These photographers managed to capture one of the wonderful things nature has given us—aurora borealis. This beautiful phenomenon occurs in the high-latitude regions because of the disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind.
Aurora borealis is very colorful, magnificent, and even seems like something out of this world. Many people would like to see it in real life; sadly, no one knows when we will be able to travel again, so let’s check out the winners of the contest organized by Capture the Atlas from the safety of our homes. They picked 25 of the best photographs for their “Northern Lights Photographer of the Year” competition.
#1 “Under A Canadian Sky” By Parker Burkett
British Columbia, Canada
“Racing to find a good location as the Lights came out, we just barely caught the tail end of the show. A quick sprint to the lake edge and the magic happened. Experiences like these remind me that sometimes I need to stop and enjoy what’s in front of me.”
On their website, they say: “We created this contest 3 years ago with the goal of inspiring others to discover and know more about this beautiful phenomenon. Seeing and photographing the Northern Lights is on many people’s bucket list, and for most of them, it’s a lifetime experience. However, this is not always easy considering the conditions that you need for seeing the Aurora, like traveling to high latitude, standing in the cold and freezing temperatures, and being lucky with the clouds.
After three editions, we have managed to reach and inspire many people to ‘chase’ and enjoy this otherworldly experience. Today, this collection is a reference for the night and Northern Lights photographers. The quality of the image must be superb, but also the history behind the shot. The level is increasing with each new edition and more photographers want to take part each year. At the same time, it’s inspiring and helpful for other aspiring photographers who want to learn more about this challenging type of photography.”
#2 “The Hunt’s Reward” By Ben Maze
Tasmania, Australia
“I have had the incredible fortune to witness the Southern Lights twice during two photography trips to Tasmania. Captured in this image is a trifecta of astronomical phenomena that made for some of the best astrophotography conditions one can witness in Australia, namely, the setting Milky Way galactic core, zodiacal light, and of course, the elusive Aurora Australis.
On top of this, a sparkling display of oceanic bioluminescence adorned the crashing waves, adding the cherry on top to what was already a breathtaking experience. Having been out of reception and civilization for over a day, fellow photographer Luke Tscharke and I had no idea the aurora would strike on this night. We’d just heard rumors of a potential solar storm. We could barely contain our excitement when the lights first showed up on our camera’s screens. We later realized we were in the best place on the entire continent to witness the rare show, with Lion Rock being on the southernmost cape of Tasmania and much more cloud-free than the rest of the state at the time.
The colors that our cameras picked up were incredible, too. Rather than the classic green, the display ranged from yellow and orange to pink and purple. When I’d captured enough frames that I was happy with, I simply stood by my camera with my head tilted towards the sky, occasionally swirling my hand around in the sparkling water by my feet. I’m forever grateful for moments in nature like this that show us the true wonders of our planet.”
#3 “Dragon Eggs” By Roksolyana Hilevych
Lofoten Islands, Norway
“I found this unknown place on the Lofoten Islands as I was moving around the Gimsoya Islands. That night was very cold, with temperatures reaching -20º C. It was probably one of the best shows of watching and photographing the Northern Lights
I’ve ever experienced because, in a place like this, it’s not easy to find something new with such a magical foreground and the kp5/kp6 Northern Lights dancing all night long. For this shot, I did a focus-stacking of three shots, two for the foreground at f/8, 10s, ISO 400, and one for the sky at f/4, 2s, and ISO 640.”
#4 “Spring Fireworks” By Ole Salomonsen
Tromso, Norway
“This image was captured on April 10th, 2019, at the very end of the aurora season in the Arctic. Most photographers had given up on the auroras by that date, but I didn’t want to surrender just yet. I have been chasing the Northern Lights for 10+ years now, and I know that they are quite unpredictable. However, some of my best Aurora captures have indeed resulted from unexpected events or uncertain forecasts.
That night was one of those when the forecast was uncertain, but I decided to go out to this fantastic location called Ersfjordbotn, which is a 20-min drive from the City of Tromsø, and I was so glad that I did it. A magnificent display took place over my head after one hour of waiting. I shot many different images, but this one stretching all over the sky with me standing on the rock in the foreground shows very well how amazing and large the auroras can be.
The Aurora Borealis, for me, is a wonder of the world. It is the most magnificent celestial and astronomical observation we can make with our eyes. Although most Northern Lights move slowly or appear static, if you are lucky like I was that night, you can enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I think that everyone should put ‘chasing the Northern Lights’ on their bucket list. It is definitely something you should witness and experience with your own eyes.”
#5 “Finland At Night” By Kim Jenssen
Finnish Lapland
“After spending many hours waiting in the cold forest of Ruka, Finland, at –36 Cº, and without any visible aurora activity, we decided to walk back to our cars. On the trail down, I saw something on my left side and told my friend to stop and wait. Suddenly, the aurora started to ‘dance’ and all I had to do was to jump in the snow, get my camera ready, and shoot! There was no planning or time to focus on composition. After 5 minutes, the Northern Lights disappeared, but it was a night with a happy ending.”
#6 “The Tower Of Sorcery” By Joaquín Marco
Iceland
“I took this photo on my first trip to Iceland in September 2019 on a trip that I had been organizing for months with 5 of my best friends. We were lucky enough to enjoy a G1 solar storm with a Kp4 index and some Kp6 peaks. The first experience of seeing the Northern Lights was incredible. As I do in the rest of my night photographs, I shot the foreground during blue hour and waited for the show to happen; that way, I can achieve the best quality in my images.
This time, the Northern Lights were so intense that I had to use a shutter speed down to 1 second to capture all the textures of the Aurora, forcing me to use very high ISO ranges between 8000 and 12800. I took this photo at the top of the Skogafoss waterfall, a composition that I hadn’t seen before and that sums up that magical night.”
“My favorite part of photography is to have the opportunity to spend time in nature and to discover new places, cultures, and people. I’ve met so many great friends thanks to this passion. It’s difficult to find a ‘least favorite part,’ but if I had to say something, it could be cleaning the tripod after a photography session on the beach! (Most photographers will know what I’m talking about.) There are many challenges like waking up for sunrise, driving long distances, not eating for hours and hours… but everything pays off once you can capture a unique moment.”
#7 “Convergence” By Agnieszka Mrowka
Jökulsárlón, Iceland
“It was late September 2020, and finally, the perfect conditions for the Northern Lights came together; +Kp6 converged with unusually calm weather and the moon illuminating the ice of the most popular glacier lagoon in Iceland. It was a fierce and peaceful night to remember.”
#8 “Lights In The Land Of Living Skies” By Jeanine Holowatuik
Saskatchewan, Canada
“I captured this image during a surprise aurora storm that came out of nowhere near the end of May in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan, Canada. The moon was illuminating the clouds and the Northern Lights reached overhead. It was a magical moment!
The show was strong, and the lights were visible in every direction at its peak, which doesn’t happen often at my latitude. I was able to stay close to home, watching in amazement as the lights reached further south. It was a warm spring evening and I captured the Lights dancing right until the morning light, a night I’ll never forget!”
Dan shares what inspired him to create this Northern Lights competition: “After shooting the Northern Lights in Canada for the first time, it became one of my passions, and since then, I haven’t stopped chasing and shooting the aurora borealis all over the world. However, photographing the Aurora is not as easy as it seems; it requires great planning, using the best settings, lots of practice, and one important thing… inspiration! Intending to get to inspire as many people as possible to know more about this beautiful phenomenon and to encourage them to travel and shoot it, we decided to create a Northern Lights photography collection to feature the best 25 Northern Lights images captured around the world.”
#9 “Vikings In The Sky” By Nico Rinaldi
Iceland
“This photo was taken during my second tour in Iceland. On my first trip, I didn’t get to see this unique location, but on my second tour, this place was at the top of my list! When I finally visited this location, it left me totally amazed: an imposing mountain lying on a volcanic black sand beach, surrounded by large dunes created by the wind. It was a concentration of beautiful natural elements that really impressed me. After spending the whole afternoon exploring the area, I chose the photo composition that I liked the most.
The sunset was really disappointing. In fact, the weather conditions were bad, and it rained intermittently, but I kept waiting, hoping that at night, the conditions would improve and the Northern Lights would show themselves in all their beauty. And so it was! After spending several hours observing the sky, around 1 am, the clouds moved away, and the sky was already covered by the Northern Lights. Full of euphoria, I went to the spot I liked and took a series of photographs of this unique natural show! It was truly a wonderful experience, where I was able to test all my night photography skills.”
#10 “When A Dream Became A Reality” By Mohad Almehanna
Yukon, Canada
“Observing the location, seasons, and angles for about three years, I researched the perfect shoot that I had in my mind. I fell in love with this composition in Northern Canada. The day I took this photo, the weather was extremely difficult; the temperature was 20 degrees below zero, and the strong wind didn’t make the situation any easier.
I had a certain vision of the photo I wanted, and because of the extreme weather, I had to build the photo in stages. Taking many shots in different stages of the Aroura rising gave me a good chance to get the final photo here. The overwhelming feeling of seeing the spectacular phenomenon for the first time and racing against time and cold to get the photo was such a thrill that I want to experience again.”
Dan told us that this competition is a little different from others and photographers don’t have to apply: “The Northern Lights photographer of the year is different from other photography contests. Photographers don’t apply, but they’re selected following different criteria like the quality of the image, the shooting conditions, the originality of the composition, and the uniqueness of the location. Both Ascen and I personally curate the images throughout the year, looking not only for images taken by some of the best photographers in the world but also from new talents that are working hard to create those fascinating images.
We also run ‘The Milky Way photographer of the Year,’ which is a similar collection but showing the best images of our galaxy captured during the Milky Way season. This is published in June coinciding with the start of the peak season to shoot the Milky Way. We don’t have other plans to run more competitions in the future at this moment.”
#11 “Right Before The Freezing” By Aki Mikkola
Finnish Lapland
“It was early winter, the water was still, and there was a reflection and reddish Aurora; not a very common combination! Many times, when the winter comes, the water freezes before the first snowfall. To capture the reflection of the sky you need open water with no snow, but this October, the snow came first. October 23rd (2020) was a very cloudy day, which is the worst enemy of great Northern Lights displays.
In the afternoon, I saw that the solar wind and the magnetic field had started to show higher activity! I knew that there would be a great Northern Lights show in the evening if I managed to find a spot with clear skies. After doing some research and calling other friends who live in the regions to ask them about the weather, I decided to drive to the south from Rovaniemi to find clear skies. I was lucky enough to find clear skies, and pretty soon, the magic started to happen in the sky, as I had predicted! I was surprised by the great amount of red color that my camera captured and the wide range of colors that were visible, even to the naked eye.
I placed my camera on a small bridge facing north over the calm river, right in the best spot to see the Aurora dancing in the sky. One thing to consider when you’re chasing the Aurora is that it’s different every single time! And capturing them is not as easy as it seems… good timing and location matter!”
#12 “Pictured Rocks Magic” By Marybeth Kiczenski
Upper Michigan Peninsula, USA
“Unpredictable. Wild. Mesmerizing. The Aurora speaks to a certain area of your soul: the part that transcends everyday life and enters into the almost supernatural. This is the draw to chasing the Aurora. It’s a feeling I have trouble putting into words. Not many realize that the Northern Lights can be seen pretty regularly from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!
While they are mostly confined to the horizon at that latitude, a good show is very much visible to the naked eye. In this image, I was out on this cove shooting the Milky Way. It is one of my favorite spots on Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It’s an almost 2-mile hike through the woods to reach this area, so I never thought I’d ever catch the Aurora here since I typically pre-plan my Aurora shootings. When I checked the Northern Lights forecast the day prior, nothing stood out in terms of the likelihood of them happening, so, when they appeared around 11 pm, I was elated.
These are the moments in a night sky chaser’s life that make everything worth it. They danced for a few hours this night. The ribbons glowing and fluidly moving across the horizon left me speechless. To get the most from this opportunity, I took a combination of shots; a 2-min exposure of the foreground and a 15-second exposure of the sky. This way, you can see more detail in the foreground while retaining the detail in the Northern Lights.”
#13 “Heavenly Dance” By Sergey Korolev
Kola Peninsula, Russia
“I’ve been hunting landscapes and Northern Lights on Russia’s Kola Peninsula for several years and I still find new spots. I found this stone beach on the coast of the Barents Sea a few years ago. At the time, I was mesmerized by the shape of the boulders, which moved with the rumble of the ocean waves, as well as the steep mountains rising from the sea. I tried to shoot the Aurora here for a long time, and one day, I got lucky and captured this image. The photo is very simple and consists of two shots; one short exposure to freezing the movement of the Aurora in the sky, and another longer exposure for the rocks.”
“I encourage everybody to go out in nature and shoot; even if it’s with your smartphone, there’s something really fulfilling when you’re expressing yourself creating new images. I hope you found our Northern Lights photographer of the Year collection inspiring and if you want to learn with us and join a community of passionate and like-minded photographers, don’t hesitate to visit us at Capturetheatlas.com!”
Which one do you enjoy the most? Upvote your favorites and comment down below what you think of this beautiful phenomenon!
#14 “Flames In The Sky” By Risto Leskinen
Finnish Lapland
“This image was taken in the Pallas-Ylläs National Park in Finnish Lapland. Satellite data indicated strong solar winds for the evening, and I decided to drive to Pallas Fell, where the landscape was ideal, with fresh snow on the trees. I usually concentrate on one composition per night, but this time, the aurora storm was exceptionally long, covering the whole sky, and I was able to get several images with various foregrounds. It was freezing cold, but flames like these make you forget the temperature.”
#15 “Aurora Eruption” By Tor-Ivar Næss
Lyngen Alps, Norway
“A few years ago, I realized how spoiled I am. On a random Tuesday night, I can head out, if the weather is decent, and capture one of the most sought-after phenomena in the world: the Northern Lights. This image came from a night just like that in the majestic Lyngen Alps, which are always a fantastic background when the Northern Lights go bananas. It was a clear night in February, and the Northern Lights started moving very slowly, but they kept building up, so when I watched what was happening on my LCD screen, the Northern Lights looked as if they were erupting from the mountain. Thanks to the moonlight coming from the left (south), the landscape was nicely illuminated and I got a decent balance with the overwhelming display of the Aurora Borealis. One thing that I’ve learned over the years shooting the Aurora is that, if you wait for 100% clear skies before heading out, you will miss out on plenty of good Northern Lights displays. This is just a tip if you are in a region of the world where the Northern Lights are visible at night.”
