Seeing the northern lights was at the top of my list for my trip to Finland, but they proved to be more elusive than I expected 🙈 This is what it took to get the photos you see here: ＊A lot of luck. It takes a combination of good weather and solar activity to see the aurora. It took me 3 different aurora tours in 3 nights (1 in Levi and 2 in Rovaniemi) to finally see bright, dancing lights. The first time it was too cloudy, the second time it was clear but low solar activity, and finally on my last attempt the conditions lined up. ＊A lot of patience. Each tour usually leaves around 8-9pm and you won’t get back to your hotel until 1-2am, and much of the time you’re just sitting in a van being driven around or waiting for the lights to show up. And like I said already, it might all be for nothing. Oh and there’s nowhere to pee unless you want to strip down in the cold and pee in the wilderness so don’t drink too much water beforehand! ＊A good tour guide and photographer. Not all aurora tours are the same and I’m so glad we went with @pebuyck near Rovaniemi and I can’t recommend Paul enough! He’s a real expert in finding the best spots to see the lights and will also take amazing professional photos of you 📸 Some of the photos here were taken on my iPhone, and if you want to do the same here are a few tips: - Make sure you have a tripod for stabilization - Turn on long exposure to 10 seconds (3 seconds might be enough if the lights are bright) - Put your phone in an inner pocket when you’re not using it to keep it warm. I didn’t know that the camera will actually stop working if it’s too cold and had to learn the hard way! ✨Save this for your trip to Finland and follow @wendan.vs.world for more travel tips! . . . #wendanvsfinland #wendanvsworld #northernlights #auroraborealis #finland aurora tour Rovaniemi, aurora borealis in Lapland, northern lights Finland, aurora photography tips