"There is always hope for magic during the darkest months of the year" That's what photographer Ruslan Merzlyakov said about his photograph, shown above, captured near his home in Denmark. Swipe for a selection of the winning images from @capturetheatlas travel photography blog’s annual northern lights photographer of the year collection, published to coincide with the aurora season and the end of year. Photo credits: Slide 1: Red Skies by @astrorms, Nykøbing Mors, Denmark Slide 2+3: Inception by @giulio_cobianchi_photo, Lofoten Islands, Norway Slide 4: Chasing the Light by @david_erichsen_photo, Castner Glacier, Alaska, US Slide 5: Spirits of Winter by @unailarraya, Riisitunturi national park, Finnish Lapland Slide 6: An Explosion of Colour by @vincentvoyage, Tromsø, Norway Slide 7+8: Elves’ House by @asilopezfotografia, Stokksnes, Iceland Slide 9: Towering Ice by @virgilreglioniphotography, Scoresby Sund, East Greenland Slide 10: Auroraverse by @torivarnaess, Nordreisa, Norway #photography #photogallery #naturephotography #northernlights #auroraborealis #capturetheatlas