Image Colour Explosion from HougaardMalan

One of the greatest prospects of visiting any far Northern country is the opportunity to witness the Northern Lights. I was almost guaranteed to see and shoot it on my trip, as I had a full 20 nights there. Surely enough, the forecast promised level 5 Aurora activity (very strong) for my first night. After running around Reykjavik to get microspikes and thermal boots, I headed to a nearby lake that a friend told me of. As night fell, I could already see streaks of green above the street lights of the capital. I went to the lake feeling inspired, but upon getting there I realised that I don't know the place, the full moon is out, I've been travelling for 48 hours and it's -12 degrees, by far the coldest I've ever experienced. I enjoyed simply witnessing it and went to bed. Then, as Murphy would have it, the Northern Lights remained dormant for a full 17 days. The last few days of my trip were dreary and unlucky as the clouds always did just the wrong thing. Finally, on my 2nd-last night, the Aurora forecast showed level 4 activity and the weather forecast promised clear skies. The display started just as darkness fell, slowly and with plenty of cloud cover. I was hoping for something much better and between the clouds, a weak display and a temperature of -9 degrees, I was almost ready to give up. Like a sign from the gods, the sky suddenly exploded with light, shapes and colour. The dark night turned into a green day as the Aurora cast enough light to make everything clearly visible on a moonless night. My heart pounded with pure joy as the streaks of green, purple and red changed shape and colour. It was hands down, by far, without a shadow of a doubt the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen. To see more of my Iceland images, visit my Website.

Thanks to HougaardMalan for your images with title "Colour Explosion", and this photo copyright by HougaardMalan