The Northern Lights as Seen by Anna Ward Bondavalli

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The Northern Lights as Seen by Anna Ward Bondavalli

Upon her return from the Lofoten Islands in Norway, photographer Anna Bondavalli Ward shares her incredible experience and emotions from this fantastic trip during which she was able to admire the Northern Lights and come back with fabulous photographs.
This journey is a process in itself, beginning with the courage to leave the comfort zone we live in to embark on an adventure. No matter how prepared one is in advance, much remains unexpected. This is, in fact, the key to appreciating each moment of the journey and making it an opportunity for enrichment in multiple aspects.
"Admiring and photographing a natural phenomenon as magical and 'supernatural' as the Aurora Borealis was a childhood dream. It always seemed 'too far' from my daily life, both physically and mentally, almost impossible to achieve," the artist recounts.
The proposal for this adventure in Norway with "Viaggio Fotografico," the group with which Anna Bondavalli Ward usually travels, came into her life at the right moment, at a time of maturity and photographic and personal freedom, but also familial, which allowed her to participate and enjoy it. It took more than two months of preparation.
The cold, ice and darkness of the night being major obstacles and difficulties, technical equipment was indispensable. Anna and her colleagues were thus accompanied by a professional photographer throughout the journey, and their shots were reviewed every day. It was indeed a tight schedule for intense immersion.
The times of the year when the night is dark and long enough to see the Northern Lights are March and October, during which it is also possible to see, in the light of day, magnificent places along the way, including the "fjords" (glacial valleys invaded by the sea), which delight photographers in search of light and landscapes to capture.

The Lofoten Islands are ideal for their unparalleled beauty and their climate. Indeed, the temperature, thanks to the Gulf Stream, drops slightly below zero, although they are above the Arctic Circle.
The Northern Lights are such an enchanting phenomenon that in the past, people were seized with fear, believing it could harm children. It fueled many absurd and surreal beliefs, such as being a rain of blood for the ancient Greeks, the reflection of the Valkyries' shields for the Vikings, or a fox that cleaned the sky with its tail for the ancient inhabitants of Lapland. Today, we know that the phenomenon is caused by the solar wind, which generates a luminous phenomenon concentrated at the two poles of the Earth due to magnetism.
Anna passionately recounts that it is impossible to describe the emotions felt when the aurora borealis finally appears. It imposes itself in the sky as a floating, fleeting, undulating marvel.
After three nights of waiting and long preparation, the aurora appeared. Most of the people present suddenly felt frozen, not knowing what to do anymore, remembers the photographer.
"It appeared to the north, then to the south, then to the east or to the west, we no longer knew where to look, our eyes could not contain it. The emotion of seeing it is indescribable. It's like coming into contact with the infinite and, through that, connecting with the most spiritual and intimate part of ourselves."
This changing, twirling, dancing and fleeting Lady is aware of her magnetic beauty that cannot be held back. It's magic that leaves one breathless in front of the enchantment of creation.
Anna Bondavalli Ward, who also returns from a collective exhibition of Lebanese artists at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC in Dubai, comes back enchanted by her experience in the Lofoten Islands. She dreams of another photographic trip to Iceland. A dream that we would like to see realized in photos!

The Northern Lights as Seen by Anna Ward Bondavalli pic.twitter.com/pugrX6H7YX

— This is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_)
The Northern Lights as Seen by Anna Ward Bondavalli pic.twitter.com/pugrX6H7YX

— This is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_) March 27, 2024

The Northern Lights as Seen by Anna Ward Bondavalli

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