While driving to Swift Current one cold and clear November night I noticed an amazing display of Northern Lights appearing above the horizon. I just passed the town of Kyle and could not find an interesting feature on the landscape to use as a foreground for images. I continued my trip south to the Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park, knowing that there are rugged hills adjacent to the highway and a curve in the road that could be used as a leading line and aid in composition.
I left the car at the Goodwin House parking lot and started photographing along the highway edge.
After capturing a few images, I decided to move further away from the Goodwin House as snow-covered hills lit by the parking lot lights appeared too bright and did not balance well with the Aurora display. Walking up the hill I found a spot where a curve in the highway fit just right for the composition I had envisioned. Images you see here were captured with a 17 mm lens at ISo 1600, 30 second exposure (that is why stars appear as short bright lines).
Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are caused by the collision of charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere and are modified by the Earth’s magnetic field. The light display could last from only a few minutes to several hours. The constantly shifting display of lights that I saw that nights was very powerful and lasted for a long time. I photographed the Aurora from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. and continued my trip to Swift Current well before it ended.
These images look simply amazing. Worth staying up late at night for.
Thanks. The aurora activity was very strong and every image looks different. It was hard to pick a favourite.