Midnight Magic

Looping Aurora

The aurora forecasts for Monday night were for "Moderate" activity. 

In aurora lingo that's code for a sleepless night that began just after 

9 pm and went on more or less continuously until after 2 am. For hour 

after hour, the entire sky was filled with swirling bands of light, 

sometimes bright enough to throw a shadow on the ground, at other 

times more muted.

As always, the challenge was to find a composition that worked. 

Aurora pictures generally need an "anchor" to be effective, something 

earthbound to give a sense of scale and place. Shots that include just 

the aurora may be colorful, but don't tell much of a story.  However, the 

area around Great Slave Lake is not wildly dramatic: there is no Denali 

here, no ragged peaks to showcase the lights. There are, instead, 

thousands of square miles of trees, and trees are invariably an essential 

part of the composition.

Nikon D3, 28mm f1.4 lens  ISO 1000