Alaska Northern Lights with Tom and Cree Bol

Details:  Learn to photograph the Northern Lights at the famous Chena Hot Springs Resort in Alaska. Join Tom and Cree on a winter adventure in Alaska where there is always a warm place to relax after photographing the colorful night sky. We spend 3 days at Chena Hot Springs and 2 days in Fairbanks photographing the aurora every night possible. We also visit an Ice Bar, photograph ice sculptures in a snow covered forest and try our hand at dug sledding.

There is no more reliable place to photograph the northern lights than Fairbanks, Alaska in the winter.  We start this adventure in the Springhill Suites in downtown Fairbanks to explore local aurora hot spots and learn how to photograph the northern lights. This is the time of year when the aurora is very active. Each night that the skies are clear we will stay out late capturing the northern skies and sleep in to rejuvenate.

On day two we will have a private tour of Susan Butcher’s former sled dog kennel and photograph the dogs in action. Participants will have the option to take a guided 4 mile sled dog tour. That night we visit the International Ice Art Championships to photograph dramatic sculptures made of ice up to 20 feet tall.

On day three drive an hour through the boreal spruce forest to the famous Chena Hot Springs Resort. Participants have unlimited access to the outdoor hot springs lake during their stay.  The resort offers optional massage, skiing, snowshoeing and dog sled tours. During two of our nights our group will take a snow coach up to a mountain ridge for unobstructed views of the auroras. There is a warming hut nearby with hot cocoa in case the temperatures are chilly.

With three days and nights at Chena, we will have plenty of time to visit the Chena Ice Museum and photograph their colorful ice sculptures while at the resort. We will end our trip with a shuttle back to Fairbanks for a midday departure.

On this workshop you will learn about:

Exposure and camera craft for Northern Lights shooting
Astral photography
Tips for photographing at night and in the cold
Editing Northern Lights images
Photographing dogs in action
Photographing ice sculptures
Hotels: Day 1-2:  SpringHill Suites by Marriott; Day 3-5 Chena Hot Springs – Moose Lodge,

Closest Airport: Fairbanks, Alaska.

Included in the fee:

All instruction
Transportation in 2 SUVs while in Fairbanks
Hotel accommodations in Fairbanks and at Chena Hot Springs
Shuttle from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs
All dinners during the trip
Entrance to Ice Museum
Two nights of snowcoach access to Charlie Dome for aurora viewing
Private session at dog kennel including 4 mile dog sled ride
Group access to Aurora point while in Fairbanks
Copy of Tom’s ebook Create Better Photographs