It was a typical winter night in Winnipeg when my boss called me to ask if I wanted to go chase some Northern Lights.
Brent knew I hadn’t seen them before and there was a good chance that night we’d see something not far from my apartment.
Genuinely, one of the things I miss the most about Winnipeg is just how close I was to darkness and nature. I never would have discovered that about myself if it wasn’t for moving…but that’s another story for another time. Let’s get back to Northern Lights.
I called Yuliana and she joined Brent and me as we drove into Birds Hill Park. The park has no lights on the side of the road, it’s just what nature, and your car, provide. We started winding through the park looking over the treeline to see if we could spot anything.
It only took a couple of turns before Yuli and I jumped out of our seats as the sky started dancing.
I really can’t do justice to what it means to see this for the first time. Honestly, I’ve been back out a bunch of times since and it’s still exciting every time you see the sky start moving. That night though was something special.
We eventually found parking and headed to a small beach where we were able to set up our tripods. These were some of the first shots I ever took of the Northern Lights.
Security did come over at some point and asked us to move so they could close up the space.
But we drove a little further into the park and found another great spot (One I cam back to quite a bit) by a set of trees.
With the night sky, campers, and a dancing sky. This is still one of my favourite photos I’ve taken and worked on over the years.
A group of people were just out camping. Not oblivious, but also not overly interested in the sky above them.
This photo is one I’ve revisited a few times as my skill set has grown. As I learn new techniques and get better at the work I find it important to go back and try those new lessons on old photos I love.
That was the first night I went out chasing the Northern Lights. It was not the last, or the weirdest adventure…but that’s a story for another post.