Darlene Tanner knew she was going to get a great photo — she just didn’t expect it would receive worldwide attention.
Recently, Tanner — who lives in Alix and works in Lacombe — went out into the country, braving sub-zero temperatures to grab a shot of a phenomenon where ice crystals in the air reflect off artificial light, creating beams of astonishing light.
Since posting on her Team Tanner website, the photos of Blackfalds, Lacombe and Red Deer have gone viral worldwide.
“I googled it today and I saw that even Forbes magazine had my picture in there. To see it going international is surreal. I even saw one in France. It is crazy,” Tanner said.
Tanner is no stranger to the ice-crystal beams — having shot them in the past.
“I was looking for them. I knew I had a good chance of seeing them, and it was just excitement until I hit the last hill, where it overlooks Blackfalds, Lacombe and Red Deer. I saw them and they were everywhere,” she said.
Tanner has always enjoyed photography, but began taking it seriously seven years ago.
Since then, Tanner’s focus has been on landscapes — especially of the Northern Lights. Her team also storm chases in the summertime.
Tanner will be travelling abroad to find even more beautiful landscapes.
“We are going to Iceland. We have been there before and we want to go back because the Northern Lights are amazing. They fill the whole sky. We are also going to Yellowknife,” she said.
Tanner said central Alberta has plenty of untapped beauty to capture.
“Living in little ole’ Alix is awesome,” she said of the village east of Red Deer.
”In central Alberta, people think you can’t see the Northern Lights and other stuff out here, but there is a lot out here people don’t know about, because they aren’t really looking,” she said.
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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