Northern Tale by Valentin Zhiganov

Valentin Zhiganov is called one of the most interesting photographers in Russia. He sometimes takes photos of landscapes and people, but northern lights or auroras are his passion. Stunning photos become very popular on the Internet. But there is very little information about their author, who lives in Apatity.
Valentin works in the publishing department of the Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He publishes scientific literature and photography is his hobby. Valentin became interested in photography at school. It was in the 1990s. He photographed nature, friends, classmates. At that time there were no digital cameras, so he had to print photos. Later modern equipment and workshops for printing color pictures appeared and it became much more interesting and easier to take photographs. At that time he was seriously interested in landscape photography and even today he likes taking photos of northern nature to show people its beauty.

Valentin said that auroras could be seen not only in winter. It is possible to see the flashes in the sky at night in late August and at the end of April, but the sky should be clear. Zhiganov is sure that aurora gives great scope for creativity. Unfortunately, only a very good camera with powerful optics can capture the beauty of the structure and shine, especially when it is moving rapidly across the sky. But much depends on the photographer.
Thanks to his passion for northern lights Valentin met an amazing man and respected scholar Sergei Chernous. People sometimes call Sergei – the chief specialist of auroras in Russia. He is an author of many fundamental scientific works and… a very famous children’s book about the complex nature of the auroras. Since 2009 Valentin and Sergei take photos of northern lights together. They have a creative union – researcher and photographer.

Valentin Zhiganov’s personal page Vkontakte: vk.com/vjiganov