Field Notes - The Northern Dance

I have had many a conversation with like-minded folk about how they have a life-long ambition to see the Aurora Borealis. Likewise, we have always dreamt of being able to experience this natural wonder during one of our trips. Whilst exploring the Northern wilderness of Scotland last year, we struck gold.

We were based in one of the darkest and quietest places in Britain - North East of the Isle of Skye. After several nights of clouded skies, we remained hopeful and continued to stick our heads into the cold expecting a glow on the horizon. Entering the early hours of the morning with one last look, it had arrived. During the few seconds it took our eyes to adjust to the complete darkness, it was sinking in - the Aurora Borealis were dancing! It triggered a rush of excitement and a scramble for the tri-pods. There was a blanket of cloud on the horizon which was being used as a natural screen, projecting the greens, reds and pinks across the sky onto the Milky Way.

We were fortunate enough to be in a cabin high up on a cliff surrounded by empty fields and shear drops into the sea. This lent itself to the perfect setting to capture both stills and a few time-lapses.

Although the Milky Way could be seen as an amazing solid, misty band spanning both horizons, all focus was on the lights. We've been fortunate enough to experience clear skies on most of our trips, but the clarity and brightness was like no other place up here.

There is nothing more magical and thought provoking than witnessing the Northern lights, accompanied by a solid Milky Way and the odd shooter. We recommend finding a registered dark spot in Britain and experiencing it for yourself. Whilst your trips are usually planned around the waters edge, don't forget about natures evening entertainment! 

These shots were taken using a Cannon 550D with a remote and tripod. ISO 3200 with a 4S shutter speed and a 1.4 aperture.

| HM |