Aurora Photography Tour Fairbanks: Professional Portraits & Pizza

Get professional aurora portraits, not just snapshots of the sky

This is a small-group aurora photography tour in Fairbanks led by Nathan, a professional portrait photographer with over 7 years of aurora experience and 25 years of Alaskan wilderness skills. You'll drive 15–40 miles north of the city to a viewing location, learn to photograph the northern lights with your own camera, receive free professional portraits lit with studio techniques, and spend the waiting hours in a heated shelter with wood-fired pizza and hot drinks. The tour runs 6 hours and includes a timelapse video, digital photo album, and an aurora guarantee: if you don't capture aurora photos, you're eligible for a free second tour within 2 years.

The experience

The difference between this tour and others in Fairbanks starts with the guide. Nathan spent 10 years as a full-time wedding photographer before moving into aurora portraiture, and he's spent the last 7 years developing studio lighting techniques specifically for shooting people against the northern lights. Most aurora tours offer "free portraits" as an afterthought. Here, the portraits are the reason Nathan built the tour. He uses controlled supplemental lighting to cut through the darkness and freeze detail in your face and the aurora behind you: the kind of technical control that takes years to master, not something you'll find on a standard sightseeing run.

You'll drive north of Fairbanks to one of several excellent viewing locations, then set up in a heated warming shelter while Nathan teaches you the science of the aurora and how to photograph it with your own camera. The group stays small, only 10 people per tour, so there's room to work and time for individual attention. While you wait for the lights to appear, the tour provides wood-fired pizza from a 930-degree stone oven, hot chocolate, coffee, chai tea, apple cider and black tea. You get hand and toe warmers, headlamps, water bottles and all the gear you need to stay comfortable in the cold. By the end of the night, you'll have a digital album with both landscapes and portraits, plus a timelapse video of the whole sky across the whole night.

The aurora guarantee means if the lights don't show up in your photos, you can book a second tour free within 2 years, based on availability. Nathan's 25 years of Alaskan outdoor experience means he knows where to position the group for the best chance of a display, and he carries the wilderness skills to keep everyone safe in the arctic winter. This is a tour built around actually getting you home with photos you'll want to print, not just the memory of having tried.

What’s included

• Professional aurora portraits lit with studio techniques and included in a digital photo album.
• timelapse video of the whole sky across the whole night.
• bottled water.
• hand and toe warmers.
• heated warming shelter.
• headlamps.
• hot pizza flight with several different pies cooked in a wood-fired oven.
• hot chocolate, chai tea, coffee, apple cider and black tea.
• aurora guarantee: a free second tour within 2 years if you don't capture aurora photos, based on seating availability.

Information

Lasts 6h, runs every day at 21:00, from US$ 385 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 10 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 21:00

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 31 pickup points.

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Electric Moose Studios

Is this one for you?The 6-hour commitment means you're out for the full night when aurora activity peaks, which is what makes the professional portraits and the pizza breaks possible. You're not rushing through a shorter tour trying to fit everything in. If you have the evening free and want to come home with photos of yourself under the northern lights, not just snapshots of the sky, this is the tour built for that.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How does a professional portrait photographer shoot aurora differently than a regular guide?

Nathan uses controlled supplemental studio lighting to light your face and body while the aurora glows behind you, a technique he developed over 7 years of aurora portraiture. Most tours offer snapshots of the sky with people as silhouettes. This one captures you in detail against the lights, which requires equipment and timing most guides don't carry or know how to use.

What happens if the aurora doesn't show up on the night of my tour?

The tour includes an aurora guarantee: if the northern lights don't appear in your photos, you're eligible for a free second tour within 2 years, based on seating availability. Nathan's experience with Alaskan weather and aurora patterns helps him choose viewing locations with the best odds, but the guarantee protects you if conditions don't cooperate.

How far from Fairbanks do you drive to see the aurora?

The tour drives 15 to 40 miles north of Fairbanks to reach one of several excellent viewing locations, far enough to escape city light pollution but close enough that the drive is manageable. The exact distance depends on which location offers the clearest skies on the night of your tour.

What's included to keep me warm during the 6-hour tour?

You get a heated warming shelter with stools to sit on, hand and toe warmers, a headlamp, and hot drinks including coffee, hot chocolate, chai tea, apple cider and black tea. The tour also provides wood-fired pizza cooked fresh in a 930-degree stone oven, so you're eating and warming up while you wait for the aurora to appear.

Do I need my own camera to take home aurora photos?

You can bring your own camera and Nathan will teach you how to photograph the aurora with it. You'll also receive free professional portraits and landscapes shot by Nathan, plus a timelapse video and a digital photo album with all the images, so you'll have professional-quality photos even if you don't own a camera.