After the previous year’s trip to Iceland it seemed like a good idea to try and photograph the Northern Lights again whilst the activity was still strong. To do this the best place seemed to be Norway. In terms of culture we expected it to be similar to Iceland, and we knew we could get further north to hopefully see stronger activity. After months of research we settled on going with a private guide that does a number of trips each year that are aimed at photographers. This guide was a cameraman who had worked on projects with the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel to name a few so we felt like it was the right experience.

What hadn’t really sunk in until that point though was that for the time of year we wanted to go, and how far north we wanted to travel it was going to be cold, very cold. This trip would take us over 300 miles into the Arctic circle and travelling through Norway and Finland by plane, minibus and snow scooter until we would finally arrive at a remote cabin called Ravnastua, near Karasjok.

At a predicted range of -20 to -40 degrees Celsius it was important to pack the right clothing and to plan for as many scenarios as possible. There would be a high risk of frostbite otherwise. The plan was to go with base layers, a normal layer, a fleece, and then a waterproof outer shell. To try and minimise exposure I also packed a buff, balaclava, ski goggles designed to fit over glasses, two pairs of gloves and a thick hat. I’d also be renting mittens and snow boots once there.

As the time got closer we kept an eye on the weather reports and started to be worried by the reports of snow as it’d mean that the skies would not be clear. It didn’t help that I got a cold just before going either.