HIGHLIGHTS
• Group trip with a maximum of 12 persons (6 x 2p.)
• Personal accompanied by world photographers Rutger Geerling and Alex G. Perez
• Day trip with huskies on a shared sled
• Day trip by snowmobile
• Evening excursion by snowmobile sled
• Learn everything about the Sami and the reindeers
• Stay in the Swedish wild in the middle of the Aurora Zone
• Enjoy your stay based on excellent full board
Join us January 8th-16th Chasing the Northern Lights! This photo experience workshop is for all photography enthusiasts who want to travel and experience landscape and nature at its best. You visit and photograph the most beautiful places in Finland at sunrise, sunset and during the day. On our journey you will learn everything related to the landscape and nature photography from the theory and thought process of image taking, planning to post-processing. We cover technical basics and apply them in breathtaking Lapland of Norway. We discuss the photos together and go over examples of post-processing. The goal of the trip is to return home with beautiful memories and excellent shots.
PHOTO TOUR PROGRAM
DAY 01
Today you will start your journey to Lapland! Right after your flight has arrived, the transfer will pick you up and bring you to the Aurora Mountain Lodge (3h).
You will check in at the lodge and take a look at the weekly program. Afterwards you can fit the warm winter clothing that is yours to make use of during your entire stay. In the evening you will enjoy a delicious dinner at the lodge.
DAY 02
On day 2 you will visit the husky kennel. After you have met up with the huskies, you will make a day trip of 35 km, the duration is approximately 5 hours. Each sled will be shared by 2 persons. Every husky team exists of 4 to 6 Alaskan huskies and you can control the sled yourself!
During the trip, you enjoy the silence and the beautiful white landscape. Halfway there will be a stop to change places on the sled.
As for the lunch, the guide will make a camp fire where the food will be prepared, the ultimate wilderness feeling!
DAY 03
Are you ready for some adrenalin kick? After you have finished your breakfast, you start this fun trip by snowmobile and enjoy the beautiful and typical landscapes of the Far North!
This trip will take approximately 5 hours and you will share the snowmobile with the two of you.
Nearby the lodge you can spot the difference in landscape, changing form taiga to tundra, the surrealistic hights towards the Norwegian mountains. You’ll drive past frozen lakes and rivers and pass the magical taiga. The guide will take care of an outdoor lunch and of course a campfire.
DAY 04
On this day you will experience the incredible silence of the Far North, the guide will tell you everything about all the plants and trees. You might even spot some tracks of the animals that have crossed.
The guide can tell you about the tracks and to what animal these belong to. In the early afternoon you’ll start the cross-country skiing activity through the woods of Lapland. The duration of this trip is approximately 2 hours and after you’ll enjoy a warm lunch at the lodge.
After you’ve had lunch, you’re packed with energy and start the hike with snowshoes. This trip is an unique experience, you are able to walk through the snow without sinking deeply into it! A walk through the snowy, ancient pine forests is an absolute must in Lapland!
DAY 05
The Aurora Mountain Lodge is surrounded by the taiga of the Sami, here they keep herds of reindeers. You will get to know the local culture of the Sami and learn everything about the reindeers, this excursion takes you back in time. It will take approximately 2,5 hours.
Enjoy a free afternoon. Perhaps read a book in the cosy lounge or take a walk in the beautiful nature.
After dinner there is a spectacular excursion planned to spot the Northern Lights! During this trip you can search for the Northern Lights while seated in the sled behind the snowmobile. This excursion takes 2 hours.
DAY 06-07
During day 6 and 7 you have some free time to upgrade with some of the activities below. Fill your days exactly how you like and perhaps increase the intension of your holiday a bit! It is also possible to make use of the snowshoes, snow sleds and the cross-country skies for your entire stay to explore the nature further on.
DAY 08
The transfer will take you back to the airport for your flight back to Amsterdam.
TOTAL PRICE
Departure date of January 8th 2022
The total price of the photo trip is $6,340 USD p.p.
The number of participants is limited to 12 persons.
PARTICIPATION
In order to offer the best care, the maximum number of participants is limited to 12. TThe trip is organized by the travel guide and photographer Alex Perez and Rutger Geerling. Participation with English skills.
SO WHAT ARE YOU GETTING
• Direct return flights from Amsterdam
• Flights included 20 kg checked baggage and 8 kg hand luggage, all airport fees and fuel insurance
• All local transfers directly followed onto your flights
• Stay at the Aurora Mountain Lodge in a Swedish chalet
• All meals, starting with dinner on the first night (breakfast buffet, lunch, 2-course dinner)
• Coffee, tea and berry juice that you can enjoy at the restaurant during your stay
• All excursions as mentioned in the program
• Professional guidance by English and Dutch speaking guides
• Free use of luxury-warm clothing from Bergans, snow boots, gloves and warm hat
• Free use of snowshoes, cross-country skies and step sleds
• VAT, reservation fee, tourist fee, Garantiefonds Reizen
• Towels, bedding and cleaning costs
• Extensive information regarding your trip, after confirming the booking
• The Northern Lights app with real-time prediction
Photographers Rutger and Alex will be together with the group for the entire days to answer all questions, to give advice and to share their experiences. There are no seminars or workshops organised, but during free time different photo activities will be initiated. For example have a seat in the bar and have a chat while looking at the photo’s you’ve made! This is what makes this trip special! Multiple photograph moments will be planned during the activities in the program.
EQUIPMENT
With the focus being on landscape and astro, you will ideally need to cover a focal length of 14-200mm.
Landscape
The landscapes on this trip mostly require wide and mid focal lengths as a lot of the Lofoten Islands are close steep mountains. Expect to use your wide-range lens and a polariser a lot.
Astro
This trip has been planned to fall perfectly around the arctic northern lights – Having a dedicated astro lens like the Sigma 20mm f/1.4, 20mm f/1.8 will make a huge difference to your astro shots.
Tall Tripod
A lot of the shooting is done on snow and rocks, so it is critical that you have a tripod with some extra length – please do not bring compact/travel tripods as you will spend most of the time bent over your tripod.
Keeping Your Gear Clean
Expect a lot of snow, rain, sleet and wind – keeping your gear clean in this environment can be challenging. Weather sealed bodies and lens are preferred.