Gear

CAMERA

• Full frame (FF) or APS-C DSLR or Mirrorless

• Micro Four-Thirds for night photography can be a bit weak with higher noise due to sensor size and ISO.

• Shutter release cable remote

LENSES:

• Ultra wide angle lenses - 15mm 2.8 (FF) or 11-20mm 2.8 (APS-C) (Aurora borealis, Wide landscapes)

• Wide angle Zoom lenses - 24-70mm 2.8 or slower (FF) or 16-35mm 2.8 (APS-C)

• Telezoom lenses - 70-200mm 2.8 or slower (FF & APS-C)

• Lens filters - Polarisation, Gradual Neutral Density, ND1000

TRIPODS & MORE:

• Very sturdy tripod due to frequent wind conditions

• I suggest a 3 Axis tripod head for high precision and easier control. Ball heads are harder to control when it comes to camera angle and inclination, especially in cold weather

• At least 3 batteries per day and especially night photography. In cold temperatures the batteries discharge faster than usual.

• Lens cleaning cloths or pens.

DATA BACKUP & POST PROCESSING

• Laptop with your preferred post processing software: Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Capture One or others

• Memory cards. 64GB or larger.

• Hard disks for daily data backup

Clothing

• Merino wool underwear pants, long sleeve shirt and socks. 2 pairs are obviously suggested. Merino is very easy to wash just with cold water and is usually dry by the morning - hence 2 pairs should suffice.

• Comfortable pullover on top. Doesn't have to be thick.

• Warm hat, if you find one with aluminum interior - better.

• Waterproof pants - preferably light in weight and comfortable to walk.

• Waterproof and Windproof jacket. I'm using a Thermoball jacket together with a windstopper Jacket on top.

• Waterproof gloves. I'm using the Heat3 gloves by The Heat Company that are made for photography and have a pocket for the heat element should it get too cold amongst other features.

• Waterproof winter shoes. Should go above your ankle and be stable and keep the warmth inside.

• Good quality spikes to go over your shoes. Studs are ok but can sometimes still cause you to slip when walking on ice and trust me, on icy roads we'll walk plenty ;).

Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon that requires clear or partially clear skies and activity of the Sun.

As the strength and duration of the Aurora depends on these 2 factors, it will always be a spontaneous decision after our dinners whether or not we will be leaving on Aurora Hunting trip around the area of our accommodations.

Our accommodations are chosen in locations which I find preferable for Aurora Photography in case it appears. As there might be 2-3 nights in a row with good Sun and Aurora activity, I understand that perhaps not all of you will want to spend 2-3 nights out in a row.

I will always let you know what the plan is for the Aurora photography and you can decide to join all the trips or just 1 or 2.

The time when Aurora photography can/will be taking place is somewhere between 22.00 and 02.00/03.00 (depending on the weather as already mentioned above).