essentials DESTINATION The Northern Lights
Levi, Finland’s biggest ski resort, puts on a great light show
At all costs avoid the Santa Claus detritus in the shops – unless you’re looking for a gift for that cousin you’re not all that fond of. But the disappointing truth about Santa is compensated by the chance to witness the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) – one of life’s celestial joys. Lapland on a clear and dark night is the best place in the world to view this icy light show. These solar, wind-driven lights occur when electrified particles are accelerated by the Earth’s magnetic fields as they collide with air molecules. They disperse energy in the form of vibrant colours that rapidly change hue, intensity and form – similar to the effects of some Finnish vodka.
If driving a rear-wheel drive, 320km/h Bentley Continental on a frozen lake sounds like madness, then I am barking mad
A country of 80 billion trees and just 5.3 million people, Finland has produced more Formula One world champions per capita than anywhere else. Driving as fast as possible is a Finnish rite of passage, so cool car control is a skill Finns develop early. The snowflakes fell gently, adding a fresh layer to the compacted ice that clung to what should have been the road. If driving a rear-wheel drive 320km/h Bentley Continental on a frozen lake sounds like madness, then I am barking mad. In the most slippery conditions known to man – on lakes frozen to a depth of more than half a metre – extreme driving instructors led by four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen says, ‘Nobody goes onto the ice without me or one of my colleagues; it’s dangerous.’ No kidding. The trick is to ‘catch’ the slide by applying opposite lock and power heroically through the bends. In a R4 million supercar.
The 12-cylinder engine has no trouble leaving a cloud of ice in its wake
3
Be clever with the light The bigger the sensor, the more easily light is let in and the better your low-light photos will look. Steady your phone to reduce the blur that comes with a long exposure; try orienting your subjects towards the light source.
4
Use HDR HDR is high dynamic range imaging using software to compensate for there being both bright and dark things in a photo. The camera takes three exposures in quick succession, and then takes the best bits from all three.
5
Use flash sparingly Typically, a smartphone camera’s flash won’t illuminate much and they are harsh, so try turning it off to improve the light and achieve better photos. Don’t bother with digital zoom. The 1520 is the biggest, most powerful Windows
Phone to date, and continues Nokia’s legacy of pushing the Windows Phone envelope. While it might not have the large sensor of the Lumia 1020, its camera is still hugely impressive, producing shots that are good enough to lay your compact cam to rest.
photographs courtesy of the finnish tourist board, bentley motors and nokia
Following in the tyre marks of Formula One champions
38 GQ.co.za october 2014
Essentials_Destination_Oct14.indd 3
2014/09/11 9:28 AM