I had just arrived in Tromsø, made the short trip to Ersfjordbotn and began getting settled on board our vessel when the word went out, ‘the lights are in the sky’.

Half unpacked, find tripod, check camera, leap from the ship onto the wharf, find a spot, set-up and go! What a wonderful introduction to Northern Norway!

This very first glimpse of the aurora borealis has a special place now in my heart. Like the very first time I remember seeing snow, or even the ocean.
This wonderful moment shared by all of us, still strangers on our first day, set the stage for the friendships we would make.

I don’t know who from our little group is in the middle field, crouched alongside their own tripods. I do know that they where just as taken with capturing this wonderful sight as I was.

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Capturing The Wonderful’,30s f/4 ISO1600 13mm