Surfing in the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights is an incredible visual phenomenon that takes place in the Nordics. Known for its mystical, green, otherworldly qualities, they are revered by photographers and videographers all over the world, many of whom spend lifetimes trying to capture the perfect shot of this beautiful and magical light.

And, this is exactly what Emil Sollie and Mats Grimsaeth wanted to ensnare; the perfect shot of the Northern Lights, but in a unique way.

They wanted to use a surfer as the focus of the shot, set against the stunning backdrop of the Northern Lights. As you can imagine, this is no easy feat. The lights are unpredictable, as is the surf, and so logistically this was not an easy shoot. For anyone interested in photography and cinematography, it is fascinating to discover how they actually did it.

Recruiting professional surfer Mick Fanning for the starring role, they went and camped out on a beach, staying half-awake throughout the night for the opportune moment. Two nights passed and a very tired crew started to lose hope. However, the third night offered the saving grace and the stars aligned for what turned out to be a visually breath-taking final result. Fanning jumped out of his tent, threw on his triple wetsuit (due to the bitter cold) and swam out to sea, torch in hand, to become the muse for the photographers.

Watch a short video about the shoot here and see the final photographic image below; it is quite simply outstanding.