Q: Please introduce yourself? Where are you from, and what brought you to become a Northern Lights enthusiast?
"My name is Geir Lia Hammer and I have become a well-grown man who has passed 50 years old and now lives in Tromsø in northern Norway. I moved here in 1993 from Telemark in the south. My job was a carpenter and crane driver and since my health got worse therefore I had to find something else to do. So my hobby became a job when I was offered to be a Northern Lights guide in 2013 by a local company in Tromsø.
I have always fascinated by the Northern Lights that dance “daily” over our heads here in the North of Norway."
Q: How do you prepare yourself before going out to capture the Northern lights and what is the most challenging factor to consider when hunting the aurora in Norway?
"Before I go out, I go through a checklist which means that I first check the weather, northern lights forecast, photo equipment, and clothes that I should wear. When I check the Northern Lights forecast, I go through many different apps and websites."
Q: What advice will you give to an aurora lover visiting Norway for the first time?
"The most important advice I would give is to bring good footwear and warm clothes such as wool that is closest to the body. Nothing is so frustrating as having to cancel a Northern Lights trip because you get cold. The temperature in northern Norway can easily drop to minus 20°C or colder during winter. And the important tip is to be patient because the aurora does not come by snapping your finger, you are expected to wait for hours."
