Ayumi Bakken

Fairbanks

I have been fascinated by the aurora since I was young, and a lifelong dream came true when I saw it for the first time during a visit to Fairbanks in 2007. I then began aurora research in graduate school for a master’s degree in geophysics, as I wanted to learn everything about the aurora. I conducted optical observations at the Toolik Field Station to study the flickering aurora—rapid changes in auroral luminosity in small-scale clustered spots.

Since then, I have returned to Alaska several times, both as a traveler and as a researcher. My first aurora shoot with an SLR camera was in 2009 in the Brooks Range, and five years later, I relocated from Japan to Fairbanks, where I began my career under the aurora as a tour guide and photographer. While raising my two young kids, I continue to dedicate myself to aurora chasing and to selling my aurora photography at local markets.

For me, watching and experiencing the aurora reminds me how small I am as an individual, yet also affirms my connection to Earth as a living being and to the universe as a whole.