Aluminum foil and toes - the beginning of a wonderful relationship?

My obsession for Northern lights has reached a new level. For a while I have pondered if I should go to Lapland for a few nights. I stumbled over a photographer's web page with incredible shots of the auroras. My urge to drive up North was unbearable and after a restless nights seeing Northern lights in my dreams, I left towards Muonio two days ago.

On the way I had the joy of witnessing a lovely sunset with the crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus visible. Of course there was only one thought in my mind. Clear sky means a better chance to see some lights later on - if there is a show. Once in the cottage I monitored the web pages for aurora alerts. Was there ever a better reason to use the Internet? I don't think so :)

After hours of waiting finally a few web cams showed some activities. I packed my photo gear and the thermos filled with hot tea. All I needed now was to find a nice spot with an open field and a place to leave the car. This proved to be quite challenging because lots of snow was piling up on each side of the road. Eventually I got lucky and stayed there for two hours to take pictures of a very nice show. It simply magical. Two pair of thick socks did not help and I had to leave. The temperature was -26C and I decided to go buy some aluminum foil the next day.

Today I went first shopping (the foil) and then searching a couple of good viewing spots for the coming nights. I found a lake near Pallastunturi (a famous fell). I went to the middle of the lake and could look far into all directions, including a breathtaking view of the fells. Nearby was a small creek. I was surprised to see and hear the water running, which is not very common during this time of the year. The scene was beautiful and calm, I stayed to listen and think. I'll remember this day and the nature images in my mind for a long time.

I'm writing this entry on Friday night here in the cottage with a nice roll of foil next to me. So far I haven't tried it out, the sky is cloudy tonight. I gladly take the opportunity to get some sleep in advance for the next two nights. No clouds during that time in the forecast. Hopefully there is some solar wind coming this way as well, let's see :)

Crescent moon at sunset

Beautiful...

...aurora...

...borealis

Nice place

Fells in the background, the lake in front

Isn't this lovely

..

Black swan - friend or foe?

A glimpse into.. ?

Today finally I feel it's the right moment to write on this blog again. So much has happened during the last four weeks. I wanted to write earlier but it didn't feel right. It would have been just out of duty. And that's not what this blog is to me.

Opportunities sometimes present themselves - until recently I have only heard that phrase in some movies. But it is exactly what happened to me just as I was planing what to do during the coming months.

My passion for photography has led me towards videography. Two months ago I started with very small steps, having some kind of immature vision of its possibilities in the future. When visiting my very creative musician friends, I discussed this with them. They needed a new video for a children's song and were asking me if I would be up for the job! Seeing this as a good learning opportunity I agreed to do it. We shoot the video material during early February and it was a lot of fun working with those kids. Editing all the way to the final video was fun as well, but at times very frustrating because of my non-existing experience.

This project was exactly what I needed. Instead of doing the video I had other plans but none of it would have given me the same satisfaction. I did something which matters in some way in some people's life. And at the same time it matters a lot to me, I really enjoyed it with all my heart and had the full support of my wife. Now I feel like I caught a glimpse, a moment, of something I was looking for a long time. I'll keep looking because it's out there somewhere!