There are only a few people who do not have seeing the Northern Lights on their wish list, and righteously so! The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis are one of the most magical appearances our world has to offer.

High up in the far north of Norway - about 350km above the Arctic circle - lies Tromsø, one of the most well known places in the world to see and experience the Northern Lights. Tromsø is surrounded by beautiful fjords, tall mountains, countless valleys and beaches, and most importantly, lies right under the Auroral Oval. It is the perfect starting point for an adventure under the Northern Lights.

Have you always dreamed of seeing and photographing the Northern Lights in a breathtaking landscape? Would you like to go on an adventure around the fjords and mountains of Northern Norway, then this workshop is perfect for you.

During this 4 day, 3 nights workshop I will teach you everything there is to know about the Aurora Borealis, I will take you to the best places to photograph the Aurora and I will help you get the photos you’ve always dreamed of.

As a professional Northern Lights guide and photographer I have shown thousands of people the Northern Lights over the past 5 years. I know the whole Tromsø area like the back of my hand and I will make sure we’re in the right place with as much clear sky as possible.

active DAYS

To make the most out of this adventure, we will be out day and night. During the day we will discover and photograph the beautiful landscapes and during the night, we will of course be out for the Northern Lights.

As with everything in nature, nothing is certain! So we will have to be flexible and move with the weather.
For example: It could be stormy and raining at the coast, but further land-inwards it can be calm and have clear skies. This region has so many micro-climates, that almost always there are locations with good sky. This can mean that we will be spending hours in the car, driving to areas with clear sky - a trip to Finland isn’t out of the ordinary!

Because the conditions can differ a lot per area, knowing the area, the weather and photographic possibilities is key - as a well seasoned guide I will make sure to make the most out of every situation so that you can return home with the photos you’ve dreamed of.

LAND of CONTRASTs

In the summer months there is no darkness to be found in the North of Norway, because of the midnight-sun, there’s daylight 24/7 from May to the end of July. From this moment on, the amount of daylight decreases until the sun doesn’t even rise anymore for a period of two months during the Polar night which is from the end of November until end of January.

However, we will be there in September, the perfect balance between dark nights for seeing the Northern Lights and more than enough daylight for landscape photography during the day.

During our tour we will have some moonlight, which should create the perfect amount of light on the landscape to help us not only to capture the Northern Lights themselves, but also the amazing landscape that we’re in.

LOCATIons

The wider Tromsø region is packed with stunning locations. Maybe you’ve heard of ‘Otertinden’, one of the most well known mountains in Norway with its beautiful pointy twin-peaks, or the Lyngen alps, housing the tallest mountains of Northern Norway. Next to the endless amount of mountains, there are also pristine beaches with turquoise coloured water, for example in the Sommarøy area.

All of these locations, and way more are at our disposal. Not only the famous spots, but also loads of unknown locations that I’ve discovered myself, and would love to show you!

However, finally the weather depicts where we will end up, because for seeing and photographing the Northern Lights, we need as much clear sky as possible.

The northern lights

The main goal of this tour is of course seeing and photographing the Northern Lights. The Tromsø area is perfectly situated to witness this phenomenon - directly under the so called ‘Auroral Oval’. This basically means that all the magnetically charged particles from the sun that connect with the earths magnetic field, will end up burning up in our Atmosphere as Northern Lights right above our heads. How much Northern Lights we get on an evening is always a big surprise and depends on a lot of factors. But even on nights with lower activity, there’s good chances of seeing something.

During this tour, Jurre Jan will tell you everything about the Northern Lights; “How are they formed”, “what information is important and do you need to know” (hint: it’s not the KP-value), “which apps and data to use”, “In-depth information about the weather, microclimates and the orientation of the Aurora and how to incorporate them into photographing compositions” - and way more.

The most beautiful part about the Northern Lights is that they’re elusive and dynamic, no night is the same. It could be that on one night, it appears ‘only’ as a green arch on the horizon, and on the next night, the whole sky is covered in dancing Northern Lights that lasts for hours. Everything is possible, and there’s only one way to find out. Head out and find dark and clear sky!

And because of that, it’s important to head out for multiple nights, to maximise the chances and also to witness the Northern Lights in different forms, colours and locations. One thing will be guaranteed, it’s going to be an amazing adventure!