Welcome to my first blog post…Or ruminations on missing the MOST spectacular aurora showing through camera failure?
Where to start? It’s been an exciting 12 months with a trip to Iceland over Easter with a jaw dropping aurora presentation at Jokulsarlon on the southern coast. Pity the malfunctioning camera failed to capture the experience! Tears? Yes! But on reflection, as photographers, I believe us to be viewfinder junkies accustomed to framing every aspect of our visual experience within some aperture with a rigid aspect-ratio dimension. Being forced to divorce ourselves from this comfortable relationship and stand powerless as we do so can, I think, be a good thing on occasion (provided a back-up camera’s in the bag for later) as we are compelled to observe every detail in the unfurling scene before us. I felt humbled and intoxicated by the sheer spectacle of the scintillating phosphenes flickering and dancing across the sky, and whilst obviously frustrated and disappointed by my lost photographic opportunities, I believe the raw memory of the event to be etched all the more deeply for it.
This long exposure image was captured the night before and was pure serendipity - I could see very faint streams fanning out from these icebergs in the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon and they were present for a minute or two before they were obscured by thick cloud never to re-emerge. The long exposure has accentuated the green phosphene ribbons.
