Aurora Chasers® Photography Workshop Tour

Single Night Tours

Duration & Times

6 Hours

• September, March & Holidays $325/person (Peak Season)
• October & February $295/person
• November - January (except Holidays) Private Charter Only $3,500/night
• Nightly, Monday - Saturday Nights (Peak Season), Tuesday - Saturday Nights (non-Peak Season)
• Single Night Tour
• 9:00-10:00 PM Pickup at your Fairbanks accommodations
• 3:00-4:00 AM Return to hotel

Schedule

• 9:00-10:00 PM Pickup at your Fairbanks accommodations (For pickup, you must be staying in the city limits of Fairbanks, otherwise we'll have to ask you to meet us in town for the tour.
• 3:00-4:00 AM Return to hotel

PLEASE NOTE: Tours times are adjusted by 1 (later) hour during Daylight Savings Time as the Aurora doesn't recognize DST.

Included:

• Transportation, Hot Beverages, Aurora Portraits, Photography Workshop

About

All Photography Workshop Tours are led by Ronn & Marketa themselves and include transportation to and from your Fairbanks accommodations, photography instruction and Aurora Portraits* and are single night trips. Learn to photograph the Northern Lights with true Professional Aurora Photographers. We'll demystify the secrets to predicting, finding and photographing the Aurora Borealis so that you go home with professional quality images of the Northern Lights*.

Bring your camera, a bit of patience and maybe an energy drink and we'll spend a night out under Alaska's magical night sky. We'll take you to one of our favorite locations to photograph "The Lights" and show you how to set up your gear to make stunning images of your own. We'll also make sure you go home with a few Aurora Portraits from your experience*.

Get the authentic Aurora Chasers' experience from the original Aurora Chasers. For this workshop tour, we'll take you out to one of our favorite remote locations and help you come back with incredible photos. You'll learn why we refer to it as "chasing the lights" and "Aurora Chasing" as we use multiple data sources to determine the best Aurora watching location based on Aurora activity and weather conditions. Once we determine the ideal location, we'll take you out to one of the same locations you'll find in many of our photos. We may even photograph with a handful of professional "Aurora Chasers" as we often shoot together in groups.

This tour is for those who want the true experience of Aurora Chasing the way we do it. For the best photos, it is recommended that you be comfortable hiking short distances in deep snow in extreme cold climate conditions for extended periods of time as we often venture away from the vehicle in pursuit of good images. For those still wishing to join this tour that are not able to hike, you will be able to stay near the warm van if you like.

Hot Cocoa, tea and Coffee will be provided but you may wish to bring along snacks and energy drinks to fuel you for the long night.

Most places we go, we are out in remote locations away from amenities so please plan accordingly.

If you plan to photograph with us, please be sure to review the required gear and ensure you have everything you need. We now have a limited supply of rental items available for your convenience. You'll find the selection on our rental gear page

Aurora and weather conditions permitting

Tour Cancellation Policy

Due to the natural elements involved and the small personal nature of our tours, we have a NO CANCELLATION policy, except in the case of extremely severe weather, which prohibits safe travel on our part in and around Fairbanks. If such an event occurs and we are not able to take you on your tour, you will get a full refund or the choice of another tour if available.

We do not cancel for cloudy skies or lack of Aurora. Both of these conditions may change. On a cloudy night, we would prefer to deliver an informative and educational experience that will prepare you for future Aurora photography, rather than explain to you that you missed your once in a lifetime opportunity to see Aurora when the clouds cleared at 1 am because we canceled at 9 pm.

Furthermore, while solid overcast does inhibit the ability to see the Northern Lights, anything less than solid clouds still allows the Aurora to be viewed. To give you the best opportunity possible, we still go out, have a good time, and do our best to find clear skies.

And honestly, while we can’t promise to find you the Aurora, this is where we shine. We will do everything reasonably possible to get you out of cloudy skies and into a view of those magical Northern Lights. We understand this is a once in a lifetime experience for most folks, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

While there are no refunds or exchanges for lack of Aurora sightings, as this is nature and beyond our control, we do offer you this option:

If you do not see Aurora during your scheduled tour with us, you may go standby any night we have open seats after 8 pm for up to 30 days after your initial tour.

We suggest traveler’s insurance for any other issues that may arise, such as illness, weather delays, and other circumstances that prohibit travel on your part. Travelex has some great coverage options available. We are not able to issue you a refund or exchange if you miss your trip for any reason.

Thanks for booking your Aurora experience with us. We look forward to meeting you and sharing the magic of Alaska's Northern Lights with you. To help you prepare for your trip, please do visit our helpful Aurora Visitor Information page.

We'll send out pickup times to the email address you provided the night before each tour.

Please also be sure to bring along the following REQUIRED items if you plan to photograph the Aurora with us.** if renting a full camera kit from us, you won't need the Ziploc and Desiccant as we'll provide that with the rental.

• A full featured camera with the ability to shoot long exposures at high ISO. Must allow Manual settings. Most interchangeable lens cameras are capable of capturing the Northern Lights in good quality. Most point and shoots and cell phone cameras just aren't there yet. If you aren't sure you have the right gear or would prefer to rent specialty gear such as "wide, fast" lenses, tripods, or even a complete camera kit, we now have a limited selection of rental equipment available. **All rentals need to be reserved and paid for prior to the tour time.

You'll find a link to reserve gear at the bottom of this confirmation email.

• A good wide angle lens with a large maximum aperture. f/2.8 or larger is preferable.

••• **A solid tripod with a BALLHEAD. Don't skimp here. This is critical! (We have a limited number of these for rent)

• Your camera's manual

••• Extra Batteries

• A headlamp or flashlight with a red LED light

• A Ziploc bag large enough for your camera and lens

•••Warm clothing sufficient for 40º below zero if you are here from Oct 15th - March 15th and clothing sufficient for 20 below the rest of the Aurora season.

Desiccant which helps to absorb moisture and keep it out of your camera gear. We suggest this reusable pack.

••• **If using a Nikon D3xxx or D5xxx model it's a great idea to bring a two-stage shutter release cable. This is optional for all other cameras but if you plan to use a shutter release, be sure it is the two-stage shutter button type.

If staying outside of the Pickup area (city limits of Fairbanks), we'll need to have you meet us at one of our normal pickup locations. We will send an email the night before the tour with pickup times and a location for meetup. Please arrange to meet us in town.