About - Chasing the Aurora

On the last summer weekend back in 2001 we left Dawson City late in the day, driving south in the glow of twilight. When darkness came a couple of hours later, a burst of light exploded in the sky. The road was hemmed in by trees, so we raced ahead to the Stewart River. Ten minutes later we pulled onto the bridge at the Silver Trail, shut off the lights, and stood in awe as a massive pulse of northern lights swept across the sky. 

I scrambled to load film into the camera while shouting back at Teresa to set up a tripod. Usually she was quick to grab the gear, but she was standing at the edge of the bridge transfixed by the show in the sky and its reflection in the river. We’d never seen such an intense display. The aurora continued for a couple of hours, and when it faded our necks were stiff and our bodies ached for sleep. We captured a few memorable images that night, one of which won awards and helped us launch a photography business. 

My experience photographing that swirling aurora twenty years ago couldn’t be more different than it is today. Back then it felt miraculous. A stroke of luck put me under the aurora that night, and I thought I’d never be able to put myself in the way of something like that again. I was shooting with film and it took hundreds of frames before I felt confident that I’d nailed it. We didn’t know that 2001 was near the peak of the solar cycle, and I also didn’t realize that September is an excellent time to shoot the northern lights. 

Today I know I could duplicate that shoot. It’s repeatable thanks to massive advances in camera technology, space science and telecommunications. Aurora storms and weather systems are highly predictable and you can use the tools to be in the right place at the right time. High ISO cameras make it relatively easy to shoot spectacular stills and now we can also capture the dynamic motion of aurora in video. There’s great opportunity to be creative, and almost anyone can get an impressive capture of the northern lights. Camera technology is no longer the main barrier – now it’s all about location and timing. I sometimes miss the spontaneity and that once-in-a-lifetime feeling, but over the years I’ve travelled to dozens of locations around the circumpolar North and watched more mind-blowing aurora than I could have imagined. 

It’s an amazing time to be an aurora photographer. High ISO sensors, software, apps, satellite forecasts, mapping and Internet connectivity have taken aurora photography to a new level. Despite all these advances, the aurora is one of the few things in our world that’s still not a sure thing. People bounce all over the globe with some certainty that they will see the world’s great sights, but there are few guarantees in the quest to experience the aurora. Northern travel is expensive, conditions are fickle, and expectations are high. And sometimes the lights don’t show up. 

I’ve been fortunate to pursue a lot of beauty with my cameras, but the spectacle of the northern lights triggers something deeper. Shooting the northern lights is one of most frustrating and exhilarating things I’ve ever done. This connection I feel with other northern people who share the experience of living under the aurora has also shaped the stories I tell and the filmmaker I’ve become. Under the Aurora is a portal to our family’s experiences and connections around the circumpolar North.