The aurora may be the headline attraction, but Joe Capra’s photographs give you plenty to enjoy beneath it. Rivers, ice, buildings and snowy horizons turn each luminous sky into a particular place. This gallery accompanies his 2014 film Two Lands — Greenland & Iceland.
Give the sky a setting
Compare the upward-looking Greenland image with the view over Ilulissat. One invites the eye to wander through the light overhead; the other places that light above streets and buildings. Neither approach requires the foreground to compete with the aurora. It simply changes the relationship between the viewer and the sky.
Capra’s original account describes local help and travel arrangements for this particular project. The dog-sled photograph belongs to that journey. It should not be read as evidence that everyone travels that way throughout Greenland.
What the solar cycle can—and cannot—tell you
NASA explains that solar activity follows an approximately eleven-year cycle. That does not mean an aurora trip must happen in “year eleven,” or that any date comes with a guaranteed display. Darkness, cloud cover and the conditions behind a particular auroral event still matter.
For photographers, the useful lesson here is to give attention to the whole frame. A river bend or a small group of buildings can make the image worth exploring long after the first burst of colour catches your eye.
Watch the project through our Two Lands film feature, or compare its time-lapse approach with Ronn Murray’s real-time aurora footage.
Two countries, different ways of moving through the landscape
Two Lands combines Greenland and Iceland, but the filmmaker’s account describes very different production logistics. In Greenland, two local guides and travel by dogsled were central to reaching the landscapes. Ilulissat served as a base for part of the visit, while the ice fjord and Disko Bay supplied distinct settings within the same broader journey.
In Iceland, the account describes a rental car and two fortunate nights of clear conditions. The road, stream and reflection photographs therefore belong to a different working rhythm from the dogsled scenes. Keeping those production details restores the travel story behind the aurora.
The old explanation of an eleven-year cycle should not be read as a promise of maximum aurora on a precise eleventh year. The film documents the displays encountered during this trip. Its time-lapse format is a deliberate way to present changing shapes, while the terrestrial scenes show where the filmmaker stood and how the two places differed.
Sources, photography and further reading
Original feature and image attributions:
- Bored Panda
- He Went To A Frozen Land And Filmed Heaven. This Is What He Saw…
- 37 Reasons Why You Need To Visit Iceland Right Now (Historical link unavailable when checked on 15 September 2026.) Related reading: Ten Iceland Experiences: Waterfalls, Glaciers, Hot Springs and City Life.
- Breathtaking Landscapes Convey the Dazzling Beauty of Iceland
- The Magical Northern Lights In Iceland Will Take Your Breath Away.
- Top 10 Things to See And Do in Iceland
- Blue River, Greenland. A Paradise For Kayak Lovers
- Giant Canyon Discovered Under Greenland Ice Sheet
- Joe Capra / Scientifantastic
- solar activity follows an approximately eleven-year cycle
- Two Lands film feature
- Ronn Murray’s real-time aurora footage
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