Michigan Northern Lights Session | Sam and Kelsey
I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get a blog post up this week, but my dear friend Megan said I NEEDED to share more of the Michigan Northern Lights session I had this week! Back in May, when the first big round of aurora hit across the country, I had no idea! I was in Chicago that night at a concert. Afterwards, I got on Facebook only to see so many photos of the aurora happening right over my town! Being in downtown Chicago, we couldn’t see anything. It was pretty disappointing.
I found this group on Facebook that is always posting when the chances of it happening again are high! So on Thursday when they were predicting a spectacular show, I posted a model call on my socials. We’d have to stay up late in the cold just for a maybe. I was so excited when Kelsey texted me saying her and Sam were down! We hung out in my backyard for a couple of hours and were treated to the most incredible views!
Shout-out to my husband for being an excellent test-shot model!
We waited around for maybe 20-30 minutes, our eyes fixed on the skies and our phone cameras.
We noticed a faint pink hue starting to appear. This is the sub auroral arc – a stable band of red that appears ahead of an active aurora band!
Finally, we noticed the greens and pinks starting to dance in the sky! It started fairly faint to the naked eye.
(Thanks so much to Kelsey for encouraging me to get in front of the camera with my husband for one!)
I’m surrounded by light pollution – a greenhouse half a mile to the west, downtown Grand Rapids to the north, and the airport AND a massive Amazon warehouse to the northeast. So I was scared it wouldn’t show up as bright as if we were farther out. But once the aurora hit, it was so clear!
It was surprising to find the best view was actually pointing straight towards the Amazon warehouse!
This was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen. As it pushed overhead and more south, they danced above us and started PULSING. The pillars above us were flickering up and down.
We were all oohing and aahing, and Sam and Kelsey couldn’t help but capture some of their own. This candid shot is one of my favorites! They both have such an adventurous spirit, love of nature, and love for each other, so this perfectly captures their personalities!
(Not a shooting star but an airplane. Still looks kind of cool.)
I am so so grateful that not only did I have the opportunity to catch this incredible phenomenon from my own backyard, but that I was able to share it with a couple who was equally as excited about it!
The lights slowly faded away around 10:30 after a stunning hour-long show.
Thanks so much for checking out this Michigan Northern Lights session! If you ever get a chance to catch them, they are truly a wonder to behold! Make sure you’re following Jessie Silva on Facebook and Instagram to catch more opportunities for your own unique session!
Have fun!
