Would you die for the shot? (posting from the road)

It was what I thought was the end of a long day...and so when I tucked myself into my cozy bed at the Tundra Inn I figured nothing could get me out...until I saw the telltale dancing green lights out the window. The northern lights!
Having been warned about the dangers of walking the streets alone in Churchill, MB after dark - I only cautiously stepped out for a quick pic. Turns out the tourist ladden town had the same thought and the streets were jammed with snap happy folks. Knowing that vicious polar bears tend to avoid camera wheeling crowds, we all banded together and ventured down to the shores of Hudson Bay for a glimpse of the lights without light pollution.  What greeted us was astounding...bright green ribbons appeared to dance across the sky...it was impossible to take a bad photo.

Now in my defense, I didn't take any photos. In my hurried departure from the hotel, in my pajamas, it appears as though I forgot essentials such as mittens, a toque and a flashlight. Not having travelled recently, I have not had reason to use my SLR and was just recently trying to get reacquainted. Well, it seems in my rushed, fatigued and now slightly hypothermic state, I could not recall where the buttons were located, how to change the shooting modes or even what apapature meant. Every now and then while randomly turning knobs and buttons with my numb fingers, I would press the shutter and invariably set off the flash. This would obviously annoy the serious tripod wheeling members of our impromptu gang and I would be treated to dirty looks (or at least I imagine that - far to dark to actually see anything).

I tried to smooth it over with small talk while attempting to gain information..."what iso are you set at" or "what's your shutter speed". It didn't seem to matter. Oh sure, people would begrudgingly respond to me but even if I could find those controls on my camera , my fingers were far too numb to adjust anything.

The 10 pm curfew horn sounded and admitting defeat anyways, I hitched a walk with a couple from California who were not sporting cameras and headed in my general direction. I admit, I also selected them because they looked marginally slower than me (he had a cane). Turns out - not necessary - no bears to dodge.

A few minutes back in my room, when feeling began to return to my extremities, I sat down with my camera and made the now obvious adjustments. I knew it was late and dangerous but I really, really wanted a Northern Lights photo. So I dressed warmly and quietly crept out of the now silent hotel...I would stay close I rationalized...maybe the bears are just misunderstood? I slowly opened the front door of the of the hotel - I wasn't sure if I was more scared about the bears or getting caught doing something wrong.

One foot was out the door when I heard a loud blast. The first attempt to get rid of an wanted bear in town was to set off a 'scaring' device. This is done before trapping or tranquilizing it and taking it to the local "polar bear jail". While I was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the blast, the fact that my ears were still ringing was a clear sign that I needed to retreat...

The photo you see at the top is not mine. It looks just like the photos that we're being taken that night by the professionals. The other photos I did take - from the safety of my hotel room.