Summer is slowly turning towards Autumn in Lapland and nights are getting darker. The endless light of the summer is changing into dark nights with beautiful starry skies and of course – season for the Northern Lights is about to begin!
Northern Lights season 2018-2019 has already started in Rovaniemi and we were able to witness the first Auroras! When we hunt for the first Auroras of the season, there are some things to consider when choosing the night. Sky gets dark only above us and it requires higher solar activity for Northern Lights to appear there. The last light of the sun will reflect to horizon long after the sunset, which is why it might be impossible to see the Auroras on horizon level. Therefore, we look out for the night with increased solar activity and turn our eyes to the darkest part of the sky. Nights are getting darker all the time now and chances of seeing the Northern Lights are getting better!
Autumn is also great time to travel Lapland. We have nice temperatures during the days and most of the nights you will do fine with light outdoor clothing. In August nature is still blooming after summer months and it creates nice opportunities for photography. When thinking about seeing the Auroras, Autumn is possibly the best time of the year to witness them. During the time of autumnal equinox geomagnetic activity is higher and increases our chances to see the Northern Lights.
As photographers, we always try to capture some mind-blowing photos of the Northern Lights and Autumn truly offers some great landscapes and sceneries for that. All the lakes and rivers have not yet frozen and they offer wonderful opportunities to capture the Northern Lights reflections. As we also have beautiful Lappish nature surrounding us, we can create truly unique and picturesque compositions. During the time of Autumn colours in September and October we are also able to capture red, orange and yellow colours of the Arctic nature when it prepares for long and cold winter.
If you are travelling to Lapland this Autumn there is a few tips we can give you for photographing the Northern Lights.
- Get away from the city lights.
- Look out for the area with best possible weather (this changes a lot when moving in Lapland).
- Make sure you have wide open view to North (rivers and lakes are great for this).
- Create a nice composition from surrounding objects, nature and landscape.
- Follow the Aurora activity.
- Make sure you have your camera set and ready for Northern Lights to appear.
We have been hunting Northern Lights for quite many years and understand that there are many things to consider for capturing the Lights in your camera - location, activity, weather, camera settings, transportation, timing. If you want to maximize your chances of finding and photographing the Northern Lights, we are happy to help you with this!
Our guided Aurora hunting / photography tours will take you to best locations for photographing the Lights. We will hunt the Auroras in different locations according to weather forecast and professional photographer and Aurora hunter will make sure you are in the right place at the right time to capture that stunning photo under the Northern Lights. Good luck with starting Aurora season!
Hope to see you in Lapland!
Juho Uutela
Photographer, Beyond Arctic
