Wedding photographer pulls couple out of party to get rare shot with Northern Lights

He says the venue had a lot of ambient light, which made the task difficult

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Published: Thu 21 Sep 2023, 2:27 PM

A bride and groom got lucky on their wedding day in Inverness, Scotland, when the magnificent Northern Lights made a surprise appearance at their venue.

Rebecca MacDonald and Chris Oram were tying the knot at Bogbain Farm, on the outskirts of Inverness, on September 18. Wedding photographer Michael Carver was hired to capture the beautiful moments.

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In an Instagram post, Carver said he was packing up and leaving when he received a text about the possibility of Northern Lights in the sky. “I was photographing Rebecca and Chris's amazing wedding at Bogbain Farm and as I packed up and left I picked up a text from my partner Ashley saying to have a look at the skies for the Northern lights,” Carver wrote on Wednesday.

The photographer said he immediately pulled out his phone and pointed it North to capture the green lights. “I know how quickly this can come and go so I shouted at some poor guy who was smoking outside to quickly run in and grab the bride and groom whilst I set up my camera,” he said.

Carver shared that he could see the “skies flaring up” and the “bright lights”. While he prepared to click the picture, the groom was made aware of the plan but the bride was “no place to be found”.

“Eventually someone dragged her from the dance floor and I had a few seconds to try and grab a shot while the Northern lights pulsed brightly,” said Michael Carver.

Detailing the challenge to click a photographer of the newlyweds with the Northern Lights, Carver said, “You need to choose where to focus (couple or skies), what shutter speed (remembering you need to be able to freeze the subject but also expose to the skies)”.

He added that the venue also had a lot of ambient light that made the task difficult.

Carver said that he was able to get “two to three shots” before the green lights began to fade. “Chris and Rebecca were over the moon, I’ve waited years for a moment like this and everything seemed to align - a little geeky but for me it was a really special moment,” he shared.

“Right place right time, right people,” Carver added.

Also called aurora borealis, the Northern Lights is a natural phenomenon that is caused when solar storms hit the Earth and electrically charged particles interact with gases in our planet’s atmosphere. While oxygen glows green and red, nitrogen gives off blue and purple light.

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