At the end of September 2020, we in Alberta were presented with a unique opportunity to chase the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. We had a couple of days that were KP5 or KP6, which were G2 storms. However, after spending three days and nights chasing, they didn’t really show up.
We learned some things along the way and found some good dark sites for some great night photography in the future.
Below is the best photo from those three nights over the weekend at the end of September. This was my first photo of the northern lights, and I am pleased with the first shot. My Milky Way photography took time to evolve, and took time to learn the skills of taking those photographs.
I look forward to learning more about taking Aurora photos and more time chasing in the coming months.
Chasing the aurora at Ghost Lake outside Canmore in Alberta is an unforgettable adventure that blends the thrill of the hunt with the quiet majesty of winter nights in the Canadian Rockies. As the sun dips behind the jagged peaks, the sky gradually deepens into a velvety black, revealing a tapestry of stars that seem to pulse with possibility.
With the chill of the high-country air on your cheeks and the distant whisper of the Bow River, you wait, camera in hand, scanning the northern horizon for that elusive green glow. When the Northern Lights finally emerge—flickering, weaving, and cascading across the sky—it feels almost unreal, like witnessing an ancient cosmic dance choreographed just for you.
The reflections on the icy surface of Ghost Lake add another layer of enchantment, doubling the spectacle as shimmering ribbons of light ripple over the frozen landscape. Along the shoreline, snow-capped forests stand silent and still, framing the radiant display with a sense of serene solitude. Every shimmering arc and curtain of colour seems to tell a story of solar storms and magnetic energy, a reminder of the vast forces at work beyond our everyday perception.
For photographers and dreamers alike, the experience is as much about patience and anticipation as it is about the moment of wonder itself—standing in the cold, heart pounding, as the sky ignites in waves of ethereal light. Chasing the aurora at Ghost Lake is more than a journey; it is a profound connection to the natural world that lingers long after the lights fade.