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«I’ll fix it someday. I swear I will.»
by Michael Restin
My journey to the North and its lights
6.10.2023
Translation: machine translated
The desire to see and photograph the Northern Lights is something I have had for a long time. And that I have always put off. Now I have finally realised it.
The shore of the Kivijärvi, a Finnish lake near the border with Norway, consists of large rounded stones. They make a great foreground in photos, although standing on them is far from easy. It was both for me and for my tripod. In fact, as I slipped, I touched it and with a nice thud, my Sony A7 III ended up in the water.
As if that wasn't enough, the lens was also attached to the camera. However, my long cherished dream of seeing and photographing the Northern Lights finally came true that evening, and my sorrow was somewhat alleviated. As I pull the Sony on the tripod out of the lake and see it dripping like spaghetti into a colander, I remember that the SD card also ended up in the water. My photos!
My guide Peter, who has stowed his things a few metres back, reassures me: the data is safe, the SD cards are waterproof. Relieved, I collect my equipment and return to the car, where Susanne, the other participant in our expedition, is equally enthusiastic about taking photos. She preferred to stay on dry land and not venture into the rocks of the lake, a very sensible decision.
49 years in a flash
I've been wanting to see the Northern Lights for years. That's how it goes with these wishes, you put them off always thinking you want to fulfil them and in a flash you find yourself 49 years old and still not having done it. So last winter I finally turned to a travel agency.
Yes, yes, said Peter
So it will probably not be so easy to realise my wish. Nevertheless, I accept his offer. I liked Peter and if it hadn't gone well with the Northern Lights, it would still have been a good trip.
You know what would be nice?
You know what would be nice? A few car-free Sundays a year and a few lightless nights. And, in general, the knowledge on the part of companies that nobody is interested in their shop windows and logos between 11pm and 7am.
Always a lot of clouds
The 5th of September arrived. My suitcase was full of winter clothes, which was quite absurd given the frighteningly high temperatures here. After four hours we arrived in Tromsø. It was windy, cold and raining. And that's how it was going to stay too.
If you go to Norway to see the Northern Lights and you can't see them because the clouds keep coming in from the coast, it's a real test of character. You have to keep calm. You have to keep telling yourself: yes, the northern lights would be beautiful, but so is everything else, plus you've only been here three days, there are still eight days to go.
On the fourth evening, although the apps left no room for hope, but Peter reminded us that the weather was out, we caught a small patch of cloudlessness and a glimpse of the northern lights. The joy was enormous. And brief. The clouds closed in after a few minutes. But, hey: we saw it! We saw the aurora borealis.
The camera sees more than you do
A brief digression on the expression 'seeing the aurora borealis': the human eye is clearly superior to a camera's sensor in the discipline of distinguishing between light and dark, however, in recognising colours in the dark it is exactly the opposite. I still don't understand the meaning of the saying 'in the dark all cats are grey', but in photographic terms it is absolutely true.
After all, everything is perfect
On the eighth evening, we were finally able to admire the Northern Lights for longer. The clouds had cleared, albeit very stubbornly. The photos came out well, but nowhere near as good as those in Peter's tour catalogue. My patience was tested, which, ironically, visibly relaxed me. I had seen and photographed the northern lights, not in the way I wanted, but when in life does something happen exactly the way you want it to?
But it was worth it. And when I ask my insurance advisor at home if my home insurance also covers drowned cameras, he replies: 'Yes, this is also covered. Thank goodness!
Few cars, lots of nature and great photos
I can highly recommend Norway (and of course Peter as a guide). It is beautiful and wonderfully deserted. You see very few cars and lots of nature. And maybe even the Northern Lights, even if you have to go all the way to Finland. In return you get some great photos!
Cover image: Thomas Meyer
Thomas Meyer
freier Autor
tacheles@thomasmeyer.chAuthor Thomas Meyer was born in Zurich in 1974. He worked as a copywriter before publishing his first novel «The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch» in 2012. He's a father of one, which gives him a great excuse to buy Lego. More about Thomas: www.thomasmeyer.ch.
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