Jeanine Holowatuik, an avid aurora chaser, astrophotographer and guide shares her photography techniques and experiences when she presents 'The Wonder and Awe of the Universe' at Nanaimo Astronomy Society’s upcoming meeting.
Holowatuik's work – published around the world and featured on the cover of the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada’s 2025 calendar – focuses on the connection between the night sky and the Earth while promoting astro tourism and dark sky awareness through her photos, writings, photography workshops and presentations about her adventures chasing auroras.
Her most recent adventures are in Norway, working as a lecturer with travellers on a trip called Astronomy Above the Arctic Circle.
“We sailed the Norwegian coast for 12 days on the Hurtigruten – a shipping company that blends ferry and postal service with tourism cruises – where we stopped in many small port towns along the way…” Holowatuik said. “I taught the group all about the northern lights and some basic astronomy during the lecture portion of the program. I kept watch to notify the group so they didn’t miss any of the aurora shows we saw.”
Holowatuik lives in Hudson Bay, Sask., where she grew up. She started photographing the night sky more than 10 years ago after she discovered most people in the world never get to see a truly dark sky or northern lights. The work led her to learn about space weather and to advocating for the importance of dark sky awareness and astro tourism. She likes to keep her photography “true to experience” and focuses often on the connection between the Earth and sky.
“You will find most of my work is darker, and silhouettes of trees etc.,” she said. “Capturing the night sky became a passion and now a way of life for me. The peacefulness and stillness of night in a world that is always so stressed out and moving so fast is a real escape. It helped me to find the peace in the chaos.”
Holowatuik said cold winter temperatures bring crystal clear air and some of the best nights – so long as one is properly dressed – for photographing
“However, my favourite is chasing the summer northern lights because it is such a very small portion of the world that has enough darkness during the summer, due to midnight sun up north, and is close to the aurora oval – Manitoba, Sask and Alberta. Seeing an aurora show in the middle of summer during the few hours it can be visible is something truly special,” she said.
Holowatuik recommends practice and patience to become proficient at photographing night skies.
“My main point to everyone would be to practice in manual [setting], be patient and get out as much as possible during the night,” she said. “Learning how to use your gear and be able to change settings as fast as possible is very important for aurora chasing.”
Holowatuik presents 'The Wonder and Awe of the Universe' via Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. at the Beban Park Social Centre.
To learn more about the event and Nanaimo Astronomy Society, visit www.nanaimoastronomy.com. To learn more about this month's guest speaker, visit https://northernescapephotography.com/about.
