The end of the road

When you are hunting northern lights, you always go to the limit, and in this case, to the end of the road. Finally the sun is coming to Tromsø, and soon we will start feeling warm during the day (if "warm" can be understood as "not totally freezing"). Ironically, the coldest days of the winter have not come yet, they will come together with the sun.

This specific night, the cold was very present all the time: the location is a valley inland in the Troms county, where we ended up being at -18ºC, with chilling cold wind. Although we were ready for the cold, we decided to wait into the car until some activity happened.

Yes, we went out to chase northern lights, and we decided to wait in the car until the selfish lady started showing up. Of course, as soon as she winked at us (with a glowing green in the sky), we jumped out of the car, all the gear ready and spots (and composition) planned previously. That way, we knew where to be and what to do.

This is something that has to be kept in mind: chasing the lights is not just a matter of warm clothes, hot coffee and a camera. It is about planning, and being ready for the shot. Choose your destination before you go, decide on a time, and try to keep your eyes wide open. Sometimes, the best spot for a photo is not the best spot to enjoy the night, and vice versa. Sometimes, there is a better spot on the way to your planned spot: try to plan for a bit of exploring time on your way to the destination, then you will always have the option to see what can you find around.

And always, always, enjoy what you do. With or without camera, she is always happy to say hi!

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ISO 2500, f=2.8, 6 seconds exposure time