The Aurora Zone takes selfies to the skies

Since the Oxford English Dictionary announced that ‘selfie’ was its word of the year for 2013, it has been clear that this self-snapping phenomenon is here to stay. The guides and photographers of Northern Lights holiday specialist The Aurora Zone have jumped aboard the selfie juggernaut, but have forgone navel gazing in favour of Aurora spotting, firmly eschewing the trend for Kim Kardashian-esque pouting and Miley Cyrus-style posing.

Instead, using extensive expertise and painstakingly positioned tripods, the photographers have captured spectacular images (as seen above) of themselves standing beneath the exquisite curtains of light that make up the Northern Lights.

Antti Pietikainen is a born and bred Laplander and renowned Aurora photographer. His first selfie depicts a rather unusual end-of-season tradition, whereby some (fool) hardy photographers – despite the arctic conditions – strip naked and raise a toast to the lights, thanking them for the season just gone.

His second selfie is a rather more mystical affair. Using his in-depth knowledge of the way the Northern Lights move and behave, he managed to create this portrait, where – thanks to a lighted torch in his hand – he appears to be conjuring up wisps of the Aurora, as if by magic.

Chad Blakley lives in Swedish Lapland from September to March, and dedicates these months to hunting down the Aurora and immortalising on film the displays he comes across. His selfie reflects the wonder and awe he stills feels when confronted with an Aurora show, when the vividly-hued lights writhe and twist overhead.

For aspiring photographers who wish to create their own Aurora selfie, The Aurora Zone offers a range of Aurora photography trips (from four to seven nights), which include photography tuition and hunts for the lights.

EXAMPLE TRIP: The Torassieppi Aurora Photography trip costs from £2,108 pp (two sharing) including flights (London), transfers, seven nights’ full-board accommodation, activities including husky and snowmobile safaris, Aurora hunts and snowshoe trips, photography tuition and all winter clothing. Departures from January-March 2015. 

A full list of Aurora-hunting itineraries (from four to seven nights) to Finland, Iceland and Sweden is available at www.theaurorazone.com, with prices starting from £1,154 pp. To discuss Aurora-hunting tours with an experts, please call The Aurora Zone on 01670 785 012.

ENDS – 19 November 2014

Note to editors:

• The Aurora Zone is the only dedicated Northern Lights holiday company and offers the industry’s most comprehensive inclusions list. It was created to highlight the innovative concept of Aurora-hunting (actively going out to seek the lights rather than remaining in one location) and to promote the fact that the current seasons offer the best opportunity to see the Northern Lights in a decade or more.
• The Aurora Zone’s trips are packed with activities, such as nightly hunts for the Northern Lights – from snowshoe and snowmobile safari’s to stake-outs in specially-created Aurora Camps with warming fires – and some wonderful daytime activities, such as reindeer farm visits, cross-country skiing and 10km-long husky safaris.
• There are also several accommodation options available to guests to help enhance chances of witnessing the Lights, including the Aurora Bubbles – exclusive to The Aurora Zone, The Treehotel and Aurora Safari Camps, plus opportunities to spend a night in The ICEHOTEL and Snow Village. Departures available until end of March.

Press: For more information, high res images of the Aurora selfies and of this season’s Northern Lights, quotes – MD Alistair McLean is available for interview and comment – or to discuss a press trip, please contact Paul Bondsfield or Laura Manning at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 or p.bondsfield@travelpr.co.uk / l.manning@travelpr.co.uk.