FOLLOW THE LIGHTS
I spent this past winter working as a northern-lights guide in Bettles, Alaska (population: twelve), and I agree with James Lasdun that photos of the phenomenon are generally far more impressive than what is visible to the naked eye (“Glow,” April 29th). However, the lights occasionally dance so rapidly that their beauty is nearly impossible to capture in a photograph. Whenever I was out with guests and a corona formed above our heads, it felt like sitting under a lampshade of falling light. People would shriek and burst into tears. I would, too. But on L.C.D. screens these displays often appeared only as over-exposed lime-green smudges. After four months in the Arctic, I realized that, when your jaw drops, it’s better to drop your camera as well.
Mary Ellen…
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The New Yorker (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 20, 2019