25 Breathtaking Winning Photos From The “Northern Lights Photographer Of The Year” Competition
#17 “Right Before The Freezing” By Aki Mikkola
Image source: prince_of_lapland
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!”
Image source: prince_of_lapland
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!”
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16 October 2022
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