Night Shift

Taking on the night shift in the effort to photograph aurora requires losing sleep from moonrise to moonset and a test of endurance! Sometimes good weather accommodates such an undertaking and conditions become favorable…some conditions more pristine than others. The aurora does not always cooperate with powerful brilliant displays and may only appear across the star-fields for a minute or two, or not at all … there are many blank nights.

In the icy fjords of northwestern Prince William Sound, a long stretch of such nights came together with perfect weather, crystal clear skies, calm waters and low tide.

" Patience" is your greatest resource throughout your entire vigil, even to experience only a few minutes of auroral arcs painting the horizon. Although only one night out of several had any aurora at all, due to the sheer magic of the area and conditions, the entire experience makes the night shift rewarding.

All images © Dave Parkhurst www.TheAlaskaCollection.com