Aurora at Andrew Lake Lodge

Andrew Lake Lodge is a fly-in fishing camp at the very northern edge of Alberta. The owner wanted to expand their packages to include Northern Lights viewing along with fishing. Andrew Lake sits almost precisely on the 60th Parallel North, meaning you are almost guaranteed to see Northern Lights anytime there is a clear night. With such a high chance of aurora, the only concern during my trip was if the weather would cooperate so I could shots for the client. Night photography is a challenging genre – it requires gear that can handle low light situation (the dark), technical skills, patience and knowledge of your subject and the weather.

During my stay there were four clear nights and three spectacular shows that were strong enough to span the entire sky. I was able to capture a variety of images with buildings, planes and boats throughout the camp as well as beautiful reflections. Along with photos, I took some time-lapses and provided the client with a written guide to viewing Northern Lights at their specific location.

My trip coincided with fall colours, so I spent some time photographing the area in the daytime. I shot from the float plane, from fishing boats and on beaches. Some of the beaches had remains of original trappers cabins.