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 p.1 #1 · When the Sky Explodes – Henningsvær, Lofoten | |
Dreamed about this for so long. Prepared for it for months.
In the time leading up to this trip, there wasn’t really a single day where I wasn’t already there in my head.
I kept imagining the scenes, the light, the conditions, playing everything through over and over again.
There are just things in life you want to experience at least once.
The northern lights were definitely one of them for me.
Why now?
A few years ago, I simply wasn’t ready yet from a photographic point of view.
Looking back, it was exactly the right decision to wait.
On top of that, the timing couldn’t have been better.
We are currently close to the solar maximum, and activity will slowly decrease again over the next years.
And March adds another factor:
the equinox.
Day and night are equal, and the sun sits right between the poles.
Statistically, this increases the chances of stronger aurora activity.
In my case, there was something else:
no moon at all for three weeks. Completely below the horizon.
Conditions like that are rare.
Many people say a full moon is better because it lights up the landscape.
That might be true for simple setups.
But if you want to get the most out of the aurora, you actually need the opposite:
maximum contrast and no external light.
A strong aurora lights the landscape on its own, often more impressively than the moon ever could.
And at the same time, you keep the stars and avoid the blue cast from moonlight.
And then there was this one night.
Everything was against it.
The forecasts were basically at zero.
I went to bed.
At around 2 a.m., I randomly woke up, checked my phone…
and suddenly everything changed.
Alerts everywhere.
Substorm.
High activity.
Reports saying the sky over Norway was “overheating”.
I went outside immediately.
And there were stars.
Five minutes later, I was standing at my dream location.
That’s exactly why I chose my accommodation nearby.
And then it started.
That night was just unreal.
Colors, movement, intensity – all at once.
And this image was taken right in that moment.
What many people underestimate:
Seeing the aurora is one thing.
Capturing it like this is something completely different.
The structures are constantly moving.
You only have seconds before everything starts to blur.
Too long exposure → everything turns soft.
Too short → not enough light.
You’re working in a very narrow window.
And then there’s the landscape.
Many focus only on the sky.
But it’s the combination with a strong foreground that makes an image truly stand out.
The problem is:
the aurora doesn’t care about your composition.
It appears where it wants.
Often partially in frame, often in shapes that simply don’t work photographically.
You can’t force it.
You have to wait.
Be patient.
And trust that at some point, everything aligns.
And that’s exactly what happened here.
What makes this image special to me:
The colors.
That mix of green and magenta feels almost unreal.
Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the 80s –
disco, music, bold colors.
At the same time, the structures remain clearly visible.
And that’s where it gets really difficult from a technical standpoint.
There are no tricks behind this.
You have to collect a huge amount of light in a very short time.
A shot like this – around 2 seconds, wide open aperture, high ISO –
captures roughly the same amount of light that would normally require several minutes in a classic exposure.
And everything is still moving.
What also surprises many people:
The human eye sees far less.
The illuminated mountain is barely visible.
The water and rocks disappear into complete darkness.
The distant mountains are almost gone.
This image doesn’t just show the moment –
it makes it visible in the first place.
I have several other strong shots from this trip.
But this one stands out for me.
It’s one of those images I already know
I will still remember 20 years from now.
I’m probably going to print it at around 2.5 meters on aluminum and hang it in my office.
And that’s exactly why this image means so much to me.
📷 Camera: Sony Alpha 7R V
🔭 Lens: Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM
📍 Tripod: Benro Cyanbird Carbon + Leofoto LH-40GR (gear + ball head)
🔍 Focal Length: 14 mm
🌞 Aperture: f/1.8
🌙 ISO: 2000
⏳ Exposure Bracketing: 2 s & 1/10 s
 When the Sky Explodes – Henningsvær, Lofoten by Stefan Zimmermann Official, auf Flickr
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