Dancing curtains of aurora light up the long winter nights along the coast of Northern Norway. In this series I follow the northern lights across quiet fjords, snow-covered peaks and small Arctic villages, often standing alone with my camera under a sky that refuses to sleep. Sometimes the aurora bursts into intense colour and movement, sometimes it hangs silently above the landscape like a soft veil. These photographs by Norwegian photographer Svein Magne Tunli are my attempt to capture that fragile moment when darkness, cold and light come together in the Arctic night.
Fan-shaped Northern Lights over Reine in Lofoten, Norway – wide bands of aurora spread across the Arctic sky above the fishing village, mountains and bridge, a magical winter night worth every freezing minute of waiting.
Spiralling northern lights wrap themselves around a lone birch tree on Ringvassøya outside Tromsø, a dramatic aurora borealis display in the heart of Arctic Norway.
Explosive bands of northern lights burst through fast-moving clouds above Skagsanden beach in Lofoten, a dramatic aurora display mirrored in the dark
Aurora borealis over the fishing village of Reine in Lofoten, Norway – Northern Lights dance above steep, snow-covered peaks and the warm harbour lights reflected in the still winter fjord.
Tall, shimmering pillars of the northern lights rise above Ringvassøya near Tromsø, Arctic Norway, glowing green and violet over snow-covered hills and bare winter trees.
Broad bands of aurora borealis sweep across the starry sky above Ringvassøya outside Tromsø, illuminating the quiet Arctic landscape in soft green light.
After hours of waiting in the freezing Arctic night, the sky above Ringvassøya near Tromsø finally erupts in blazing northern lights, a glowing veil of green over the snowy valley.
Northern Lights over the road to Tromsø in Northern Norway – an empty, ice-covered highway leads into the distance under a glowing green aurora and a star-filled Arctic sky.
Soft waves of aurora borealis drift across the winter sky at Ringvassøya outside Tromsø, painting the low mountains and frozen ground with a gentle green glow.
Delicate ribbons of northern lights stretch over Ringvassøya near Tromsø, with starlight shining through the aurora above a quiet, snow-covered Arctic landscape.
The northern lights are mirrored in a frozen river at Ringvassøya near Tromsø, green aurora bands reflecting in the ice between low Arctic hills and winter birch trees.
Wide bands of aurora borealis curve across the sky at Ringvassøya outside Tromsø, echoing the lines of the dark ridges and bare birch trees below.
Green curtains of northern lights drift over Kvaløya near Tromsø, glowing above low snowy mountains and a dark Arctic shoreline under a clear winter sky.
Northern lights over Kirkenes in far north-eastern Norway, with green aurora hanging above frost smoke rising from the cold fjord on a deep winter night.
Northern Lights above Reine in the Lofoten Islands – tall curtains of green aurora rise behind jagged mountain peaks and a small Arctic village, showcasing some of Norway’s most spectacular Northern Lights scenery.
The northern lights sweep across the sky above Fredvang in Lofoten, while the warm road lights on the Flakstad bridges trace a golden line beneath the green aurora.
Aurora borealis over Skagsanden beach at Flakstad in Lofoten, with the northern lights reflected in the wet sand and shallow water along the Arctic shoreline.
Northern Lights over Kvaløysundet near Tromsø, Norway – a bright green aurora ribbon stretches across the Arctic sky above a quiet fjord and a lone red cabin on the snowy shoreline.
Northern Lights over Kvaløysundet near Tromsø, Norway – a bright green aurora ribbon stretches across the Arctic sky above a quiet fjord and a lone red cabin on the snowy shoreline.
Powerful Northern Lights above Tromsø in Arctic Norway, with sweeping green aurora bands filling the night sky over a dark, snow-covered hillside and bare winter trees.
Arctic photographer Svein-Magne Tunli standing in the snow beneath a faint aurora near Tromsø, capturing the northern lights that appear throughout this gallery.