Last April I was driving back to my house on dark but clear night when all of a sudden noticed bright beams of light shooting up from the mountains on my right. I could clearly see them even with my headlights on high beam, and immediately thought someone must be driving their quads along the old logging roads and shining their spotlights into the sky. This sounds pretty silly to me now, but it was so bright and obvious. I pulled the truck over and shut the headlights off, and then realized I was looking at a northern lights show!
Here in North Idaho we are far enough south that our chances of seeing them are much slimmer than our friends farther north in Canada. As fast as I could I ran home and grabbed my camera and tripod and drove across to the lake. By this time the most intense colors had already started to weaken, but when I opened my shutter for 20 seconds the colors were still vibrant! The red color of northern lights is not seen as often, and occurs when their is especially strong solar activity. The reds are also typically only visible and altitudes of 150 miles or higher. This is the reason that when northern lights are visible in Idaho, we are often treated with some reds and pinks near the top of the display.
Seeing the northern lights is incredible, and makes a night under the stars even more awe inspiring than normal!
If you haven't already seen it, I published a lengthy guide to mobile photo editing and VSCO X yesterday! Here's the link: Mobile Photo Editing and VSCO X | A Photographer’s Guide
These photos are for sale in my portfolio on Stocksy United! Stocksy United - Justin Mullet
Creating authentic outdoor and landscape photography primarily in the Western United States. Featuring a beautiful portfolio of stock photos that portray some of the earth's most peaceful and quiet areas, and portraying rural life at its best!