I stood on the dock alone and suddenly streamers of green bouncing light were moving up and down the sky - like those confetti spray cans. I called out to no one - LOOK! LOOK UP!

I was torn (for only a mili-second) between taking another photo or running up to the house and waking up my family.

There are times when it’s TOTALLY worth waking up your family…

I opened the sliding glass door and walked into the house calling to my family - “Wake up loves - the Northern Lights are out and it’s HUGE!”. I started with my daughter whose response time was pretty impressive - she was up and at ‘em and out the door. Waking my boys was a little tougher - and my husband was the slowest.

In what felt like an hour but was only a few minutes, we were all standing outside - my youngest in Dad’s arms looking up at the sky. It was all visible by eye - shooting light up from every direction into the centre of the sky - dancing, sparking, moving, changing colours. This was better than any fireworks display and the silence was so deep and wonderful but for our voices ooohing and ahhhhing at the scene.

I was tearing up because I had wanted my children to see the Northern Light like this for YEARS…and it was happening.

My hands were shaking in the emotion of it all ~ and that’s perfect.

I grew up in Northern Ontario and worked in the outdoors for years - so seeing the Aurora Borealis was not new to me, personally.

But sharing it with the family I dreamt of since I was a kid?

Seeing my tiny 5-year-old in his too-small pajamas with his head on Dad’s shoulder watching the lights in awe?

Standing with my big kids while they saw the Corona for the first time?

It was a big deal and I was feeling it all - and I think it’s okay for my kids to see how joy moves through our bodies sometimes. For me that night it was a little shaky and a lot of tears.

In my excitement and joy - I took most of these images out of focus that night - I was so beside myself, I never noticed my camera focus had shifted. Ooops - but alas, that isn’t what the lights are about.

It was a night none of us will ever forget - photos or not.

The Northern Lights faded as the sun rose long after my family had gone back to bed.

My youngest was having trouble keeping his eyes open and one by one my family returned to bed. It was an amazing night - and little did we know that things were only going to get better in the coming days!

One of the most incredible Aurora Borealis Nights was coming within 48 hours - and it would be the talk of our country for days after!

Until that blog post, may you see the Aurora soon and experience the magic too.

If you are interested in learning how to capture the Aurora on your DSLR or Mirrorless camera - join the next workshop!