We are so excited to feature this post and all the wonderful Images taken by Janae Bennett in Alaska!!
The following are her photographic Magic she captured on her Quest for the Northern Lights!
Chasing the Aurora Borealis
by Janae Bennett
by Janae Bennett
Heavy winter coat. Check.
Wool socks. Check.
Hand warmers. Toe warmers. Check. Check.
Mirrorless camera, fast wide-angle lens, freshly charged batteries. Check. Check. Check.
I had been getting ready for months.
One day in March, I packed my bags, hopped a couple of airplanes and there I was standing in the freezing cold in Middle-Of-Nowhere Alaska, hoping to get a glimpse of the famed Northern Lights.
Lead by a guide with extensive experience chasing the Aurora Borealis, our group braved the winter night, each of us armed with a sense of humor and a camera.
And the sky didn’t disappoint. I was amazed by what I saw.
Cold Alaskan night #1 – We arrived in the low mountains near Fairbanks and set up our tripods in a staggered row up the hillside. A faint swath of misty green streamed across the night sky. At first, it didn’t seem that impressive and looked nothing like what I had seen in pictures. Our guide assured us the lights were dancing above us and he told us to get shooting. We adjusted camera settings and started snapping, our cameras picking up light in the sky that the human eye couldn’t see. It seemed crazy to me that there could be that much light up there and I couldn’t actually see it with my eyes. I learned that even when I could see the lights with my own eyes, my camera would always see more. After shooting for a while, the light show died down and our guide decided it was time to head back to the hotel. Everyone started packing up their camera gear. I had wandered a little farther up the hill, so I collapsed my tripod, leaving the camera attached. I had just arrived in the parking area when suddenly, the sky came to life again. Bright green light twisted and streamed overhead. Most of the group had put their cameras away. Mine was still attached to my tripod. I planted there in the snow and started shooting, rewarded by a wide open sky filled with dancing Aurora, shifting and swirling in interesting shapes. It didn’t last long, but I was glad that I hadn’t packed my camera away. What an incredible first night!
In spite of the wool socks I was wearing, my toes were frozen.
Cold Alaskan night #2 – Our location was filled with bigger trees which made an excellent silhouette. At one point, the green brightened and some purple appeared. The color intensified in the sky and I could only stand in awe, my camera forgotten beside me. I thought if I just stretched up and extended my bare hand to the sky, I would be able to feel something tangible there. It looked like I could touch it. We moved around the area, from a snowy road lined with evergreens, to a more open space surrounded by trees with leafless branches. The Light would die down and then surge back just as we were wondering if the show was over for the night.
It was really cold and since my toes froze the night before, I had placed a hand warmer in the toe of each boot to see if that would help. It did, for a while, and then my toes froze again.
Cold Alaskan night #3 – We drove a little farther and came to a river bracketed by trees on snowy banks. When we arrived, there were no Lights in the sky. We unpacked our gear and set up, but there was nothing to shoot. Just a dark Alaskan night. I got a few shots of the Big Dipper with the pine trees. Everyone milled around the parking lot in the cold and it struck me as really funny that this group of people was standing there freezing in the middle of the night, waiting to take pictures of a phenomenon that might never even show up. Coolest thing EVER. When the Lights finally started streaming, it was in funky shapes behind the trees, bright green and interesting. We moved down to the water. It was calm and smooth, reflecting the Aurora. Such a beautiful sight! We gathered along the river, shooting from different angles. The setting offered so many great possibilities. I loved the reflected light on the water and I was able to get some of my favorite shots of the trip there.
Still working on the freezing toes thing, I had worn two socks on one foot and one sock on the other, with toe warmers stuck to the top of each foot. The results of my little experiment? Both feet still froze, but the one sock foot was warmer a little longer than the two sock foot.
Cold Alaskan night #4 – A wide open field with stunted trees was our setting. I have to admit that after the beautiful river location of the night before, I was a little disappointed. But as the Lights danced along the horizon, our guide mentioned this was the perfect place for a panorama. And he was right – the Aurora appeared as though it was following the curve of the earth, making a gentle arch in the distance. Compared to the previous three nights, the lights were not as bright or as close, but still awe inspiring. I did some shooting, made a couple of snow angels and then just laid there on my back watching the sky. It was quiet and dark and cold and beautiful.
My last chance to work on the freezing toes experiment, I wore one sock on each foot, a toe warmer stuck to the top of my foot, a hand warmer stuffed into the toe of my boot. Yep, they still froze.
Every night we chased the Lights and every night we found them. There were moments when it looked like the light had gone and I would snap a picture and find that it was still there, just not bright enough for my eyes to see it. And then the sky would open up, the stars seemed to dim, and brilliant lights would start streaming. I would take a picture and find it was even more beautiful through my camera. And the people – I enjoyed meeting new friends, all of us standing in the cold together at 3:00 am with the common goal of getting an amazing picture that would bring back the experience of witnessing such beauty in person. Photographing the Aurora Borealis in Alaska was an incredible experience and not one I will soon forget. Someday I will chase the Lights again.
But next time, I’ll wear better boots.
