Jan recently fulfilled a long held ambition to take to the seas in search of the elusive Northern Lights, assured they’d be a bit less elusive in the hands of esteemed astronomer Wil of Wil Photography fame who chartered an entire ship in order to share his passion with others. The timing was perfect given that we’re currently at the peak of solar activity in the Sun’s approximately 11-year cycle. We had our first proper taste of the aurora borealis in October 2024, just outside of Portsmouth which is one of the most light polluted, densely populated and southern parts of the UK! Having got the alert we jumped in the car and headed to the top of Butser Hill in Hampshire where we were treated to glorious red and green skies.
Aurora viewed from Butser Hill, Hampshire, October 2024 – The Caravan Gallery
Having become completely obsessed, Jan says: ‘I just knew I had to be on that Chasing the Aurora Cruise with Wil and will be eternally grateful to the people and circumstances that made this possible. My intention was to be an Artist in Residence, documenting multiple aspects of the trip including my fellow passengers and their experience of witnessing the aurora. Nothing went entirely to plan, partly due to the vagaries of the weather, not least my own emotional weather following the sudden loss of my beloved sister Rachel earlier this year. Being at sea for 9 nights with my lovely filmmaker friend Rebekah Tolley, and a shipful of friendly nature nerds, many of whom had never been on a cruise before either, provided a welcome respite after all the sadness and a pretty full on time with The Caravan Gallery and Saving Ron’s Place commitments.
I’m currently sorting through thousands of images, video clips and notes, as well as pocketsful of stones and ephemera gathered from various ports of call in the Faroe Islands, Norway and Shetland. There’s just so much to savour about this trip and I need time to process it all but I look forward to sharing more words, pictures and images with you in due course. In the meantime, I’ll be posting photos on The Caravan Gallery Instagram page, and here’s an album recording my interactions with assorted Aurora Chasers and Orca Lovers
Special thanks are due to the brilliant London Camera Exchange in Lincoln who provided me with an updated model of my trusty LumixG9 camera. I used this throughout my odyssey in addition to my phone when it got too windy for a tripod, or when bits fell off the latter. I’d be the first to admit that astrophotography on a moving ship with the lights out is a whole different kettle of fish to tramping the streets of Britain or wherever photographing the sort of stuff we usually photograph. I obviously need to go on another cruise to hone my skills as an astrophotographer!
Rebekah (left) and Jan on Nesaksla Mountain, Andalsnes, Norway