Polar Nights
Aurora Workshop

AURORA CHASE

Photography Workshop for 2026

Photography First

This photographic workshop is designed around capturing a handful of amazing aurora shots, and getting you in the right place when the aurora arrives. We'll be sleeping in late most mornings, and then making the most of aurora activity at night. There will be some opportunity to shoot scenery in the daytime, but likely very limited as our schedule is focused on night photography. January has long nights and short days. That means we could find ourselves shooting auroras at either 5pm or 3am. And we intend to be ready for any potentiality.

Starting in Tromsø

The Aurora Oval goes right over the top of Tromsø, which is why even a modest aurora event looks spectacular from this part of the Arctic. Lots of other places will tell you that auroras are seen through the winter, but they need a bigger event to kick off before the lights move higher above the horizon. Tromsø is a great city to fly into from lots of international airports, but best of all it's a central location for chasing into other regions. When there's cloud on the coast, we head for higher ground in the mountains.

Arctic Conditions

To really enjoy this trip you'll need to be comfortable with cold conditions. We will help you prepare and shop for good gear before joining this workshop, with an emphasis on good snow boots and warm gloves. We intend to be out in the cold for hours at a time, and will rely on quality clothing and an open fire to keep warm. When you book on the tour we'll send you a packing list with information about what to expect, and some suggestions on stores in Oslo that sell excellent gear at great prices. Having a few days in Oslo before the tour gives you a chance to shop around and choose from lots of quality outdoor winter gear. And it's a lovely city too!

Chase Nights

Not every evening will be a chase night, but we plan for up to 8 slots during the trip when we can drive far from our accommodation if we need to. Each day we evaluate the conditions and forecasts, and make plans based on the best data available. In 2025 we did 5 chase nights and captured aurora on every one of those. We also shot aurora at our accommodation on two nights we didn't chase. The first half of that tour was dreadful weather with lots of cloud and even rain. Arctic conditions are highly variable, which is exactly why we plan the workshop for 14 days and plan chase nights.

Most chase trips are 2-3hrs from our accommodation. We pack dinner in the bus and bring fire wood so we can enjoy the camp fire and heat up our picnic meals. The bus is never far away in case anyone starts to feel the cold, and has automated heating systems to provide instant warmth for anyone who has reached their limit for the night. The bus is designed for 19 seats, but we limit the group size to 8 photographers plus guides. There's plenty of room inside.

Local Knowledge

Both Ewen and Gunnar have been chasing auroras in Norway for a long time, and they both know lots of quiet locations where photography can be enjoyed with a minimum of interuption. Most of the time we have a lovely piece of the Arctic to ourselves. Some nights we might end up in Senja, either down by the water for reflections or maybe higher up in the mountains looking out through a fjord. Other nights we might head to the Lygen Alps. Some evenings we've ended up in Finland or Sweden just to make sure we get clear skies. Both of your guides have intimate knowledge on where to setup the camp fire in those destinations too. Many nights we will be satisfied to shoot from our cabins, as we've chosen some lovely locations for accommodation.

(Moonlight aurora shoot near Narvik)

TIMELAPSE BOREALIS

One focus for this workshop will be to get a handle on putting together your own timelapse videos of the aurora. Ewen has immense experience in shooting and assmebling timelapse content, and can help you master this powerful creative tool.

THE LONG TWILIGHT

The first question I get asked for this itinerary is whether we’ll have any daylight to work with at all?

There will be some daylight, but something more like "post sunset" mood. The sun officially returns to Tromsø on January 21, so it'll be just out of sight for much of this trip. That means some lovely gentle light for slow shutter photography. We will definitely have a chance to explore our local areas during the daytime, plus time to process our photos and review images from previous nights.

This tour design runs in January so we get maximum aurora opportunities. We are planning for late nights and late checkouts so we can get a sleep-in after chasing aurora into the small hours.