A Creepy Place

This is the weirdest and creepiest place I have chosen for aurora photography. I knew it would be a perfect place. And it was.

Choosing a location is so important even when shooting something that's high up in the sky. But the foreground does so much to the photo. It's one of the main ingredients even in aurora photography.

I had had this bog in my mind for quite a while. I walked across it a few years ago (see a photo at the bottom) and discovered a spot with dead trees, like a dead forest in the middle of the bog. I could imagine what that would look like in a winter setting with stars and the aurora in the background.

To get there I had to ski. I borrowed a pair of skis that were more suitable for loose snow with. no ski tracks. My racing skis would not have worked there at all. In fact it turned out that getting there even on these skis would be a challenge. I had 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the nearest road, where I parked my car. Still, it took me almost 45 minutes to get across some fields and through the forest and partly across the bog before I reached this place.

But it was all worth it! The northern lights were active throughout those 5 hours I stayed there. They came and went, as did the clouds. But I got some really cool photos from the dead forest.

The aurora came and went during the night. Sometimes it shone through the thin cloud cover.

On of the best parts of the northern lights came at 7:15 when I was driving towards my chosen location. I had to stop on the railroad bridge to capture it. But I was a little late. Only a line left, but still very beautiful.

Being alone in the wilderness in the middle of the winter night is something I love doing now. A few years back it was a little scary, but I have gotten used to it. Making camp fire and grilling a sausage while waiting is such a pleasant way of passing the time. You can see a tiny line of the aurora at the horizon.

The collection of dead trees in the middle of the bog looked like a creepy art exhibition. When I turned around I could see a halo ring around the moon. This is a perfect setting for a horror movie, don't you think?

Yet another active phase of the northern lights came right after midnight. This was the picture I saw in my head when I chose where to go.

Putting on the snowleggings before skiing out to the dead forest.

The Dead Forest in the summer. It looked even more awesome in the winter.

---

Want something with a mystical feeling on your wall? Why not order a print of The Dead Forest! It felt like a creepy place but it's actually quite beautiful.

The Dead Forest

Buy Now