Local photographer captures stunning northern lights over Garden of the Gods, goes viral

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Vivid streaks of green, pink, and purple painted the night sky above Garden of the Gods, a surreal sight most people never expect to see.

Local photographer Daniel Forster was standing in southern Colorado's slice of heaven, camera rolling, when the northern lights appeared over the red rocks.

He has spent years photographing the beauty of the Garden of the Gods, but nothing compared to the beauty he captured on Nov. 11.

Forster first saw the northern lights a little over a year ago, and he thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity until the lights appeared over Colorado.

"I went to bed and my post was...well, I posted it late, like 10:30...and I usually don’t do that on social media and get much interaction… but when I woke up, it had like 80 thousand likes. I was like, what in the world...this is insane," said Forster.

Daniel says he never expected the photos to go viral...but more than the numbers, it was the emotion of the moment that stuck with him.

"I like making people smile, I like helping people, so it's cool to see that people enjoy something I'm doing. I really enjoy taking photos and sharing them."

He tells KRDO13 that seeing the northern lights again, in his favorite place, felt like a gift. He’s taken countless photos here, but says this one was different.

Now, Daniel’s photos are being shared across the country, and he is even receiving dozens of messages asking for prints. 

"I do get requests for prints, but this time it was off the charts; it was so many requests. Yeah, it's the most ever. It was a big post, the most viral post I've had. I got a lot of requests, it was great," said Forster.

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