In Pursuit Of Magic: Golf Under The Northern Lights

KJUS selected Lofoten Links in Arctic Norway as one of the locations for its Spring / Summer 2018 Golf Collection shoot. A spectacular 18-hole links course situated on the remote and rugged coast of Gimsøya in Lofoten. Boasting an unobstructed view to the North and facing the midnight sun, Lofoten Links is one of the best places in the world to witness the magical and majestic Northern Lights.
Planning their visit in September the team knew it would capture some stunning daylight images of the course. They also hoped they would get the unique chance to experience golf under the Northern Lights but with Mother Nature there’s no guarantee.
Equipped with specialist photography and video camera equipment the team set off on their adventure with high hopes and crossed fingers.

Lasse Kjus, Norwegian ski legend and Co-Founder of KJUS, summed up the challenge the team would face: “The Aurora is the most unpredictable of guests, she comes and goes as she pleases, she takes on different shapes and colors and you never know when she will visit or how long she will stay.”

Setting up a photography shoot with the Northern Lights was a gamble – the first hurdle was whether she would show up at all and the second was whether the crew could capture her on camera.

Despite her unpredictability, luck was on their side. During the short stay on Lofoten Links, Aurora showed up three consecutive times for the KJUS golf wear shoot. Capturing her on camera was challenging, the team had to react to sudden moments before she’d vanish again. The setup had to be quick with the two professional golfers; Emily and Geir ready and waiting to strike the golf ball the moment she’d appeared which was difficult in the darkness.

The team set out on its adventure to bring golf to the Northern Lights. Whether they found the magic or the magic found them, it was an unforgettable night.

QUOTES:

Rob den Otter, Marketing & Communication Manager at KJUS: “KJUS is in constant pursuit of perfection and wants to inspire people to enjoy playing golf to the fullest. We are constantly pushing the boundaries with our products and innovations, always striving to go where other sports apparel brands don’t even imagine going. With the Aurora project we wanted to showcase that quest visually by doing something that hasn’t been done before: bringing golf to the Northern Lights.”

Jaanus Ree, Photographer: “The Northern Lights were completely unpredictable. They appeared out of nowhere, moving as if by magic and vanished just as quickly. Their strength varied so much that I had to change camera settings constantly. A huge challenge was that as soon as I had the golfers in position and received good configuration and framing, the lights disappeared and I had to start over again. The whole thing was a big gamble but with perseverance and luck on our side we managed to get some great shots.”

Emily Talley, former Ladies European Tour and LPGA’s Symetra Tour Player and model for the shoot: “I’ve been very lucky to have traveled the world and played some incredible golf courses while on tour, but Lofoten Links was a completely unique experience. Concentrating on hitting shots was incredibly tough when all I wanted to do was turn around and stare at the beauty of the Aurora. The whole team would be exclaiming “Wow! Look at that!” and I just had to continue holding my follow-through for 30 tormenting seconds until the photo was captured. Eventually those seconds were up and it was my turn to enjoy the beauty of the Aurora and it was Geir’s turn to experience the emotional, fear-of-missing-out, trauma.”

Geir Ottar Askvik – Golf Pro and model for the shoot: “Beating balls into the magical endless void before such a backdrop was unbelievable. It was not easy to concentrate on your game.  I’ve played some amazing courses through my career but this course was like nothing I have ever played, it feels like it is from another world; a fantasy course, especially when the Aurora showed up.”

Get a behind the scenes view at this miraculous photo shoot in the video below!