POLAR LIGHTS

Dec 25, 2015
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Just wondering, whether there are some more polar light addicts out there? If so, I would be interested in seeing your pictures, your favourite place (Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, Alaska or???)

Once in 1998 I was flying from Paris to Los Angeles and then to Tahiti. After crossing Iceland, the Jumbo Jet flew right into polar lights - an extaordinary experience which lasted at least 3 hours. I never forget this flight. Thanks to digital cameras I finally was able to capture those lights 15 years later on my first trip to Tromso, Norway. 4 nights of lights during a 5-night-trip was not that bad. But I was really really infected by a certain virus - the virulensis influencicus aurora borealis epidemii!!!! :) :) ;D ;) That virus spreads quite epidemically around polarl light travellers...

So this was in March 2013. In October 2013 I returned to Norway and Sweden. This time I stayed in Abisko (national park in Sweden near Norwegian border) and on the Lofoten Islands. A year later I did the same trip again - self driving, some 3300 km or 2000+ miles from home one way!

Here some of my pictures from Tromso first.
 

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Dec 25, 2015
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and finally the world's first polar-light panorama, showing a 360 degree view of Abisko, Lake Tornetrask, 'Lights over Lapland' - hotel and hostel.

Well, to be honest, I don't know whether this is the world's first polar-light panorama. And well again, it is not a perfect panorama which is nearly impossible to do because polar-lights can really be fast-moving, intensity of light may vary quickly and with a wide angle lens (16-36 L) and its distortion quite a hard job. These photos were taken within one single minute. The strength of the light was 7 (max. = 9) and the sky was green all over. A very spectacular view, indeed. The polar-lights began at 7 p.m. and stopped at 4 a.m. I was simply not able to return to the hotel before the last light vanished in the morning. The virus, the virus...
 

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Jan 1, 2013
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Snowleo,
Yes, it does get longer. There is no guarantee that the list will be fulfilled. Factors like health, longevity, finance, etc., play into the list, ;).
2016, though, I went to Vancouver for a short one, and in late April/early May, Edinburgh, the first trip to the eastward direction with daughter (she lives in Singapore) to photograph puffins, 8) ;D ;D. December will see us going to HongKong to visit families, our annual journal, and from there another trip to New Zealand. So, that's a lot of finance resource. At this stage of life, we have to do all we can, after all, "we can't take it with us ...", :mad:, so it is said. Thankfully, I have enough annual leave at work to be able to get out, ;D ;D. Anyhow, I plan to work forever and live that long too, 8).
Enjoyed your polar lights photos greatly. Everyone's contributions are so beautiful, just make me hang my head.
Cheers,
-r


snowleo said:
I don't know whether this is a good idea, Lion Rock, the to-do-list normally doesn't get smaller til the day you will be retired. Mine was soooo loooong that I had to start working on it long before retirement!

And i did not regret it.

;)
 
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OK I think I've figured how to post!
I've only just started at Photography in the last six months and the following were mainly taken on my first Aurora attempt two weeks ago when there was a good display,
The Clubhouse,
Clubhouse Aurora 3 by andrew simpson, on Flickr
Clubhouse Aurora 1 by andrew simpson, on Flickr
and I can't help but see a contorted Warholesque Monroe face in this one
_MG_6483 by andrew simpson, on Flickr
and a few nights later it was misty but it did something nice with the light
Misty 18th Aurora 2 by andrew simpson, on Flickr
 
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Dec 25, 2015
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Hi Andrew

Welcome to CR! And thank you for sharing your photos. It looks like you had a real good night full of lights. I just imagine how fantastic it must have been - playing midnight golf underneath a starry sky full of polar lights. :)

OK, I guess, as you didn't play golf that night. Polar lights are simply too magic not to look at them!


To d:

Hi d!

I would love to see your pictues as well. I am waiting... ;D


I add some pics of my last trip to Sweden (September 2014). These 3 photos were all taken during 1 night at Abisko, Sweden.

Enjoy!

Snowleo


N.B. The lights were driving me that mad that night that I thought I have seen a green elephant in the sky. Hm, must have dreamt that.
 

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