Lofoten – Let There Be Light!


Leuchtend grünes Polarlicht über Reine auf den Lofoten

The last real night in Reine on the Lofoten Islands was simply a dream. As the day before, it was clear all afternoon, and the aurora forecast was superb. The evening before, though, dense high fog had moved in around 9 pm and you couldn’t see anything at all. Luckily it was different this time.
Already at dusk the lights were dancing, single streaks reaching high into the sky – what a start. Once the first good photos were in the bag, it was into the car and off we went. The rest of the night was indescribable. In the days before I had already thought about several spots for northern lights, and now everything came together: aurora of strength 5 and 6 in every form, plus a starry and above all dark night, because the moon only rose around two or three in the morning. I was out until almost dawn; in the end there were well over 1,000 pictures and around 75 GB of data. Accordingly, it was hard to narrow the selection down to 36 pictures.
Live, of course, something like this is far more impressive, and the dancing of the light is hard to describe – there are a few beautiful videos on Vimeo, if anyone would like to see it.
One more small note: a few weeks ago I bought myself a lovely large-format printer, a wonderful machine with really good print quality. If you’re interested in a print of one of these pictures, feel free to get in touch via the contact form.
Enjoy the pictures! I wish every one of you the luck of experiencing the northern lights in all their colours and forms one day.

Pale arc of northern lights over the still water and the peaks of Reine
A pale arc of aurora and its reflection, a dark mountain flank on the right.
Green northern lights behind the silhouette of a steep mountain near Reine
Green aurora stands behind the silhouette of a steep mountain.
Long green arc of northern lights above a mountain top near Reine
The mountain top cuts into the long green arc, with stars around it.
Vertical green rays of northern lights above lights by the water in Reine
Vertical green rays, with a few warm lamps down by the water.
Green and violet northern lights above red rorbuer and a mountain in Reine
The last night in Reine: green and violet above the red rorbuer.
Green-violet rays of northern lights above the water and the lights of Reine
The lights of Reine along the shore, with rays in green and violet above them.
Bright green band of northern lights above a pointed mountain top near Reine
A bright band of aurora lies above a pointed mountain top near Reine.
Broad green arc of northern lights above water and mountains near Reine
Water and mountains stay dark, and the green arc above them is broad.
Dense green rays of northern lights above a black mountain spike near Reine
The mountain spike is only a black tip, the sky above it full of dense green rays.
Swirling green northern lights above the mountain silhouette, lights far off by the water
Swirling green above the mountain line, a few lights far off by the water.
Horizontal green wave of northern lights, only a mountain peak reaching in below
Almost nothing but sky: a green wave lying flat, a mountain peak at the very bottom.
Bright green swirl of northern lights filling almost the whole night sky
A bright green swirl over almost the whole sky – strength 5 and 6 that night.
Folded green band of northern lights, just a small mountain peak below
The green band lies in folds, and the mountain peak below it is tiny.
Narrow bright arc of northern lights stretching across the dark sky
A narrow, bright arc runs right across the dark sky.
Green northern lights radiating from a point above a mountain peak near Reine
The green rays spread from a point above the mountain peak.
Spiral-shaped green northern lights in front of stars, no recognisable landscape
Only stars and a green spiral, with no landscape at all.
Folded green veils of northern lights in the starry sky above Reine
Starry over Reine: the green veils lie in folds.
Large green curtains of northern lights above a distant string of lights near Reine
Large green curtains hang above a distant string of lights.
Vertical green rays of northern lights behind a dark rocky ridge
Vertical green rays stand behind a dark rocky ridge.
Green northern lights hanging above a row of bright lamps by the water near Reine
Green aurora hangs above a row of bright lamps by the water.
Broad green curtains of northern lights above the black mountain line near Reine
Broad green curtains hang above the black line of mountains.
The night sky full of green rays of northern lights, no foreground
Here the night sky is nothing but green rays, with no foreground.
A person standing on the dark shore beneath rays of northern lights near Reine
A person stands on the dark shore beneath vertical green rays.
Broken green band of northern lights above reflected shore lamps near Reine
The green band is broken, and the shore lamps are reflected underneath.
Dense green arc of northern lights above the row of lamps and its reflection
Lamps and their reflection in the water, a green arc packed close above them.
Narrow flat arc of northern lights right above the shore lamps near Reine
A narrow, flat arc lies just above the lamps on the shore.
Wide green swirl of northern lights above scattered lights by the water near Reine
The lights by the water are scattered, and the green swirl above them is wide.
Tall green arc of northern lights in portrait format above a ridge near Reine
In portrait format, a tall green arc above a ridge near Reine.
Intertwined green northern lights filling the sky above Reine
The dark ridge stays narrow, with green bands interlocking above it.
Green and violet rays of northern lights reflected in the water near Reine
Green and violet are reflected in the water in front of the dark shore.
Vertical green curtains of northern lights above the winding shore road near Reine
The road along the shore takes a bend, with green curtains above it.
Row of green rays of northern lights on the horizon above the mountains of Reine
On the horizon, a row of green rays above the mountains of Reine.
Bright green knot of northern lights between two dark slopes near Reine
A bright green knot lies between two dark slopes near Reine.
Green arc of northern lights in portrait format above a pointed mountain top near Reine
Portrait format: a green arc and stars above a pointed mountain top.
Green-violet rays of northern lights and their reflection in the Reine fjord
In the fjord near Reine the reflection lies directly under the green-violet rays.
Green glow of northern lights between two black mountain flanks near Reine
A green glow lies in the gap between two black mountain flanks.

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