A Visit to Finnish Lapland 2017


A Visit to Finnish Lapland 2017

For the third year running, Lyn and I travelled north in search of photographic opportunities in the snow and ice. Unlike our previous two 'winter adventures' however, in Iceland with Canon Explorer, David Noton, we decided that we would get a true 'cold fix' and in 2017, venture further north. After some internet research, we came across a specialist travel company called Aurora Zone, which offered just what we were looking for:

"Aurora Photography. For a photography enthusiast, there can be few subjects as spectacular as the Northern Lights. Capturing the majesty of this natural wonder takes specialist techniques, whilst tracking down the Aurora requires a huge amount of local knowledge and expertise. This holiday is designed to help you achieve the best possible images, whilst enjoying unforgettable Lappish experiences in stunning surroundings."

We had a great time, met some wonderful people and like it said in the trip brochure, took part in some 'unforgettable Lappish experiences' - dog sledding, reindeer sleigh riding and driving a snowmobile amongst others. Great stuff.

Unfortunately, we did not take as many photographs as we hoped. This was partly down to the weather as on some of our activity days it was cloudy, foggy or both but also down to the limited itinerary which we were given on the one day which was scheduled for landscape photography - the 'minibus day'. With beautiful blue skies we were expecting to be taken to locations with true photographic opportunity but the reality was different. Our longest, of the few stops which we made, were at a gift shop, a roadside diner and an exhibition centre. We DID make a couple of other stops on that day but still felt more than a little short changed when it came to this part of the holiday.

Enough complaining - we saw the Aurora Borealis on two separate nights, went trekking in snowshoes in the Pallas National Park, ate great food and as said already, spent time with some lovely people. All in all a cracking holiday despite it not quite living up to the description in the brochure.

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