Preparing to travel I have a few rituals I undertake beforehand. Like reading up about the culture, cleaning my camera kit etc… They help me prepare to transition from the busyness of life in Bradford and embrace another journey to new lands. When the adventure takes me to the far North the rituals include refreshing my memories of the Aurora Borealis and how I might be able to grab some photos.

I often read other people describing hunting the Aurora. I realised that the language that is used has a sense of dominance and control over nature. It is the same when photographers describe going on “shoots” and look to “capture” images. The words seem full of military reference and a sense of subduing nature by trapping it in a light box!

My experience of the Aurora is that it is like a chase thru a mystical forest. Suddenly breaking into an opening and seeing the Queen of the Forest dancing beautifully. You might be able to take the odd photo but nothing can replicate the experience of encountering the dance of lights. If the the Lucky Lady lets you gaze upon her beauty, you are fortunate and certainly not dominating nature!

So a few days away from a visit to the Finnish Arctic Circle and being in the Auroral Oval and Im excited! However heavy snow is forecast over the weekend and predicted cloud cover are making me a little nervous…