Allison Anderson Films (November 15, 2023) – A three-week cruise aboard the Seabourn Venture from Greenland, through the Canadian Arctic to Nome, Alaska.
Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:28 What is the Northwest Passage? 01:17 Ilulissat, Greenland 02:16 Karrat Fjord, Greenland 03:00 The View of a Lifetime 03:45 What are Expedition Voyages? 04:20 Walruses 04:49 Polar Bears 06:32 Arctic History and Culture 07:13 Seasonal Changes 07:43 Life Onboard the Seabourn Venture 08:18 The Northern Lights and Nome, Alaska 09:07 My Thoughts on the Northwest Passage
For centuries the search for the Northwest Passage lured the most intrepid explorers, but it wasn’t until 1906 that Roald Amundsen finally completed the first sea voyage across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
National Geographic Traveller Magazine (December 2023): The latest issue features the 30 best destinations for 2024, Northern Lights in Manitoba, sailing Denmark’s South Funen Archipelago on a tall ship and a long-distance rail trip in the US….
Also inside this issue:
Uganda: The wildlife of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Melbourne: In Victoria’s state capital, local innovators are breathing new life into forgotten spaces. Amman: Culture, cuisine and craft in Jordan’s kaleidoscopic, mountain-fringed capital. Tunisia: From laid-back coastal towns and diving spots to mountain trails in the county’s northern reaches. Warsaw: Traditional Polish flavours have found a new home in fine-dining establishments. Central London: Hotels to escape the crowds at, from budget boutiques to spruced-up luxury boltholes.
Plus, saddling up inGeorgia’s Tusheti region; the salt workers of India’s Habra city; Barcelona’s La Sagrada Família nears completion; Europe’s new UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the flavours of Sierra Leone;a pedal-powered tour of Malmö; design-led stays in Siem Reap; a Christmas break in Lapland; beach views and seafood in Aberdeen; a staycation in Arnside and Silverdale; great illustrated travel books and photography collections; and overnight essentials.
Norway is a ruggedly beautiful country of mountains, fjords and glaciers. The ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’ has delightfully long summer days, unspoiled fishing villages and rich historic sites that include Viking ships and medieval stave churches. Norway’s varied geography surprises many visitors who imagine the country as a frozen monolith. On the contrary, the temperate south includes rolling farmlands, enchanted forests and sunny beaches as well as the dramatic Western Fjords. North of the Arctic Circle, the population thins, the horizons grow wider and the temperature dips. It’s no wonder that Norway prizes its stunning natural wonders and retains a robust frontier character unusual in Europe. From north to south the length of the country is almost 2000 kilometers. November through March is the absolute peak season for Northern Lights viewing because the nights are longest, but a visit anytime between September and March should give you a good chance to see them, with March offering the best chance of clear skies.SHOW LESS
It is common belief that September is too early to view the Northern Lights within the Arctic circle. Truthfully, it is one of the best times to see them, especially if you don’t like the cold. September is my favorite month of the year for aurora, as you have a bit of both cold and warm worlds.
The still mild temperatures enable you to get the precious reflection of the auroral dance in the still water of lakes and fjords. All hikes are also very accessible as the snow hasn’t fallen in big and dangerous quantities yet. As a conclusion, you can literally enjoy the northern lights from anywhere. It opens up so many more opportunities than at the heart of the winter.
This year, we are just coming out of solar minimum. And it shows! The month of September alone has been extremely productive, with both coronal hole High Speed Streams and CMEs (stealthy). More precisely, the week of September 24th – October 1st has delivered insane nightly shows back to back!
I wanted to showcase these beautiful displays that I was able to capture in Northern Norway (Senja and Troms area), as the leaves were starting to turn into golden and orange hues. I will publish a more general ‘Fall-themed’ movie in the near future. Stay tuned!
All was shot with the Sony a7s, a7rII and 2 Canon 6D astromodified, a variety of bright lenses ranging from 14mm to 50mm. For motion control I used the Syrp 3-axis Genie I system and also the Vixen Polarie. All post production was made in Lr with the special timelapse plus plugin, Sequence for mac, TLDF, and final production was made in FCPX. I hope you like the movie as much as I liked shooting and processing it and I thank everyone of you for your support. All content is of course copyrighted Night Lights Films (except sountrack licensed through Epidemic Music, see credits for authors and titles), and no footage can be used in any way without the author’s permission. Please contact me for media and purchase inquiry. Please share and comment if you liked the video and follow me for more videos like this one! More at nightlightsfilms.com.
Pamola Creative worked extensively during the summer of 2019 to create a film, capture timelapses, and produce still images that did justice to the vast amount of night sky viewing opportunities that the state of Maine has to offer. Visit Maine incorporated this project into their major 2020 Bicentennial Campaign.
From awe-inspiring glaciers to geothermal springs and active volcanoes, Iceland is a place where nature always takes center stage. Even in the nation’s lively capital of Reykjavik, views of the sea and nearby mountains steal the show. Isolated from the rest of Europe for centuries, this land of fire and ice has a unique cultural heritage of literature and music that you’ll find captivating too. Illuminated by the Northern Lights in the winter and the midnight sun in the summer, Iceland shines in any season, offering you a travel experience unlike anywhere else on the planet.
Filmed and Edited by: ADRIEN MAUDUIT (Night Lights Films)
Believe it or not, we didn’t have that much of a winter. Even in Arctic Norway! Since November, 13 consecutive extra-tropical cyclones have brushed the coast of Norway affecting even the coldest places of the country. As a consequence, lots of positive temperatures and rain on top of the snow, somehow destroying the typical arctic wonderland.
However in between the lukewarm rainstorms, the cold came back and allowed for short periods of freezing temperatures and snow. In these moments it was important for me to get out there whenever I could and capture all I could get. Cold also meant clearer skies and as a result aurora. Nonetheless it was never as easy as that because of the solar minimum we are at. It means lower auroral activity and fewer big shows.
Music: ‘Remorse’ by The Wong Janice – music producer & cellist based in Amsterdam, NL.
Album: Cello Music for Meditation
A collection of those moments when I was able to capture both the Milky Way and the Northern Lights at the same time. Captured between October 2016 and October 2019 in Finland and Norway.
List of locations (in the order of their first appearance):
Utsjoki, Finland
Hetta, Finland
Pöytyä, Finland
Nordkapp, Norway
Skibotn, Norway
Muonio, Finland
Kolari, Finland
Lieto, Finland
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