Fire and Ice
There is never a guarantee that the Aurora Borealis will be visible at any given time at any given place, but there are apps to help you with both. I use My Aurora Forecast, but there are others as well.
If you are wanting to photograph lava flowing into the ocean in Hawaii, you have to track the active volcano lava flows, be patient (sometimes for years) and then make a tour boat reservation. I track when there are active volcanoes and touch base with Big Island Lava Boat Tours.
Of course, hiring a private boat or having your own is always better.
Fire and Ice
I grew up in Chicago, spent two and a half years living in Minnesota and have photographed in Svalbard (78° north latitude), Kaktovik, AK (70° north latitude), Iceland (64° north latitude) and Lapland (66° north latitude). The Arctic Polar Circle is located at 66.6° north latitude, so I’ve been cold a lot. I now live in the Sonoran Desert with a closet full of insulated boots, HotHands hand and foot warmers, long johns, scarves and Carhartt Extreme Insulated Coveralls. I don’t really like cold weather and it’s not healthy for my asthma. But I do like frozen waterfalls, polar bears, the aurora borealis, glaciers and icebergs. Since I am a senior citizen, it is easy for me to forget things, like how much I hate being really, really cold. So, about once a year, I get excited about going someplace freezing cold or colder and commit to some photo shoot or another.
It’s often not until I begin packing that I realize what a bad idea it was. But, by then, it’s too late and off I go. I used to be able to get Cynny to come along, but she got too smart for that a long time ago and now plans a girls get-together or a trip to visit family or just a week or two binge-eating Mexican and Indian food that don’t agree with me and tells me to call if I find a place with phone service.
Since I like to lead a balanced life, I also find beauty at the other end of the spectrum, especially photographing lava, the hottest natural thing on Earth, with a temperature of about 2,140° F. I particularly enjoy the spectacle when lava reaches the ocean. The interaction between lava and water creates a hazardous mix of hydrochloric acid, steam and volcanic glass particles that creates a scene easily mistaken for hell on earth.
As with many things, it is the extremes of nature that are often most interesting visually.
Fire and Ice
I grew up in Chicago, spent two and a half years living in Minnesota and have photographed in Svalbard (78° north latitude), Kaktovik, AK (70° north latitude), Iceland (64° north latitude) and Lapland (66° north latitude). The Arctic Polar Circle is located at 66.6° north latitude, so I’ve been cold a lot. I now live in the Sonoran Desert with a closet full of insulated boots, HotHands hand and foot warmers, long johns, scarves and Carhartt Extreme Insulated Coveralls. I don’t really like cold weather and it’s not healthy for my asthma. But I do like frozen waterfalls, polar bears, the aurora borealis, glaciers and icebergs. Since I am a senior citizen, it is easy for me to forget things, like how much I hate being really, really cold. So, about once a year, I get excited about going someplace freezing cold or colder and commit to some photo shoot or another.
It’s often not until I begin packing that I realize what a bad idea it was. But, by then, it’s too late and off I go. I used to be able to get Cynny to come along, but she got too smart for that a long time ago and now plans a girls get-together or a trip to visit family or just a week or two binge-eating Mexican and Indian food that don’t agree with me and tells me to call if I find a place with phone service.
Since I like to lead a balanced life, I also find beauty at the other end of the spectrum, especially photographing lava, the hottest natural thing on Earth, with a temperature of about 2,140° F. I particularly enjoy the spectacle when lava reaches the ocean. The interaction between lava and water creates a hazardous mix of hydrochloric acid, steam and volcanic glass particles that creates a scene easily mistaken for hell on earth.
As with many things, it is the extremes of nature that are often most interesting visually.
