The northern lights in Alaska are undoubtedly spectacular, they often swirl and dance across the night sky adding an unworldly charm to many of our camps, at least that’s how I like to think it is because in reality I have very rarely seen them.
In the depths of March a clear night means a cold night and it takes a lot of determination to leave the cocoon of a warm sleeping bag. On this occasion I did, I set my alarm for 1am, staggered up, pulled on mukluks, parka and mitts, stepped outside and was mesmerized. It was a revelation that I will always remember. The only problem was that I’m also a photographer and I’m meant to photograph things like this, often I would really rather kick back and enjoy the moment. The thought of setting up a camera and tripod to record something so ethereal seemed a little distracting and practically challenging. Fortunately habit kicked in and I took this photo, maybe not the best shot ever but it has become a talisman for me, representing much of what draws me back to the North year after year.
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