An adventure photographer planned this amazing shot for eight months. A surprise aurora made the image even more epic. Ice caves, a pilot’s view, and more top the best Northern Lights photos of 2025

I originally found this ice cave, called a moulin, 8 months prior to setting up this shot in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Glaciers are a very dynamic environment, so I kept going back to monitor the changes of this moulin over the 8-month period. As the opening of the cave formed, I envisioned setting up a night shot with my friend abseiling down the mouth of the cave with New Zealand’s amazing starry sky in the background.One magical night, everything finally came together! To my surprise, the Aurora Australis also lit up the sky. I managed to capture my friend’s silhouette perfectly placed in the center of the cave’s opening, and I love how the pinky tones of the aurora contrast with the icy colors of the cave. This dream shot ended up coming out better than I had originally envisioned, and I had a great night with my friends exploring the glacier!.

When glacier guide and photographer Tori Harp first spotted the circular ice cave, she spent eight months monitoring the ice as it formed, envisioning a shot of an ice climber framed by the cave with the New Zealand stars in the background. But when the photographer finally had the chance to make the shot a reality, a surprise aurora made the shot even more epic than the original vision.

Now, Harp and 24 other photographers are among the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year, an annual photo contest hosted by travel photography blog and photography tour host Capture the Atlas. The contest honors 25 photographers each year, giving all the winners equal weight and the title of Northern Lights Photographer of the Year (though the contest welcomes both the northern lights and the southern lights).