This workshop was my first foray into night photography and - though I had done a lot of research and practiced beforehand - I was still not at all convinced that I would get any photos in the dark – let alone ones of the elusive aurora.
When I contacted Ronn with my concerns, he replied quickly and re-assured me that I had nothing to worry about.
The first issue was that I thought it would not be possible to get enough help. I felt I might need more attention than would be possible. This certainly turned out not to be true. In the van on our way to the first location, all of us were given general information about the aurora, which was followed by detailed instructions on how to set up our cameras. Everybody received the help they needed at all times.
To Rent or not to Rent?
My 2 choices: “Do I want to rent their professional equipment and have everything set up for me in order get the best photos?” or “Do I want to learn new skills using my own somewhat out of date DSLR but risk not getting the best shots?”
Ronn assured me that my camera was just fine for my purposes (simply for my own enjoyment) and that I did not need to rent their high end equipment. He was always available not only to check and adjust settings but also ready with explanations for the settings so that I could understand more about the process. With Ronn’s help and expertise, I learned a lot about my camera – and settings I did not know I had!
Predicting the Aurora - Why book with Aurora Chasers?
Prior to the workshop with Ronn and Marketa, I had been out looking for the lights 4 times with very mixed results despite predictions. The first night I went out on my own, I saw some grey streaks in the sky. Clouds? Aurora? At that point, I did not realize that the lights cannot be seen with the naked eye unless Aurora activity is high; however, the camera can pick it up. Having learned that, I did manage to take some blurry photos the second night after the “clouds” were identified as aurora by another guide. The prediction with K number, clarity of the sky, general weather pattern was for a “fair” viewing that night. I went back to the same location the next night since the forecast was for “excellent viewing” based on K5 and clear skies. I returned without photos. There seemed to not have been any lights. The third time was at a different location and with help of a guide who identified the streaks in the sky as aurora, I managed to get some nice though not in focus photos. The forecast had been for “poor viewing” because of cloudy skies and a low K number; however, the aurora was clearly visible in the camera.
The reason I am mentioning all of this in such detail is that I learned that you cannot rely on general predictions and K factors etc for the aurora and that you need a professional guide for the best chance of seeing and photographing the aurora. Case in point. The night before the workshop with Ronn and Marketa, they sent out an email saying that the chances of seeing the aurora on our night would be very slim and offered to refund the money, although they would go if those who had signed up still wanted to go. Based on what I had just learned, I took my chances and was rewarded with a once in a life-time- experience - seeing the aurora with my own eyes and wonderful photos to remind me. Pure Magic.
Aurora Chasers is truly an apt description. Ronn and Marketa did a great job literally chasing the aurora in their van (we tried three locations) using apps and up to the minute weather reports which led us to a perfect spot where we could observe a beautiful aurora display in a clear dark and starry night. I’ll take slim chances with those two any time!
Ronn and Marketa provided an all-around excellent experience and outstanding service and I would encourage anybody to sign up for their workshop. Thanks guys!