Meet "Aurora" Dora

"When it's dark, I see the lights!"

Dora arrived in Alaska from Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2001, and has been chasing and photographing the aurora borealis, or northern lights, ever since.

She had never heard about the northern lights prior to moving to Alaska, and the first time she was able to witness their beauty, she knew that sharing the magic of the aurora with others was her passion.

The nickname “Aurora Dora” came about when a fellow photographer said, “You can’t just be ‘Dora’. Look at your work, you need to be Aurora Dora!” He spread the name throughout her small community, and it stuck. Now, people around the world stop by the Aurora Dora gallery in Talkeetna, located at 22229 S Talkeetna Spur Rd; photographers rely on her expertise for both northern lights and night sky shooting; and her workshops sell out regularly.

Dora is an award-winning photo artist.

Winner of the 2025 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year, People's Choice Awards in Landscapes category
Winner of the 2024 1839 Photographer of the Year, People’s Choice Award in three categories: landscapes, travel, and nature

Exhibits

Collective Exhibitions

reFocus Award - COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST (2025) - TRAVEL Honorable Mention - "Peek-a-Boo Pioneer Peak"
reFocus Award - COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST (2025) - NATURE Honorable Mention - "Peek-a-Boo Pioneer Peak"
INVITED for the GAIA 2025 EXHIBITION with "Unthinkable Night" - February 5 to April 5, 2025.
1839 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS (2024) - LANDSCAPES People's Vote Winner - "The One Wow Night"
1839 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS (2024) - NATURE People's Vote Winner - "Milky Way Eye"
1839 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS (2024) - TRAVEL People's Vote Winner with the series When It's Dark, I See the Lights - "Double Vision Aurora", "Aurora & Denali", "Favorite Spot Aurora", "Bridge on Green", and "Ruth Glacier View"
1839 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS (2024) - LANDSCAPES Honorable Mention - "Aurora & Denali"
RAREFIED LIGHT 2024 with "Milky Way & Bodie Island Lighthouse" - May 9 to September 4, 2025 - Valdez Museum & Historical Archive, Valdez, AK
RAREFIED LIGHT 2024 with "Milky Way & Bodie Island Lighthouse" - March 7 to March 31, 2025 - Mat-Su College Gallery, FSM Building, Palmer, AK
RAREFIED LIGHT 2024 with "Milky Way & Bodie Island Lighthouse" - January 16 to February 18, 2025 - Kenai Peninsula College, Kenai, AK
RAREFIED LIGHT 2024 with "Milky Way & Bodie Island Lighthouse" - December 6 to December 20, 2024 - University of Alaska Fairbanks Art Department Gallery, UAF Fine Arts Complex, Fairbanks, AK
RAREFIED LIGHT 2024 with "Milky Way & Bodie Island Lighthouse" - November 1 to November 25, 2024 - Alaska Pacific University, ConocoPhillips & Leah J Peterson Galleries, Anchorage, AK
NATURAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2024- GRAND SCENIC - Semi-finalist with "Milky Way Monument Valley"
GUARDING THE DARK NIGHT - AIMING AT THE STARS with "Feeding My Soul" - December 2023 to February 2024 - Shanghai Astronomy Museum - Shanghai, China
DarkSky International's CAPTURE THE DARK COMPETITION & EXHIBITION with "Feeding My Soul" - Received Second Place on the Category People's Choice - July 2023
INVITED for 7th ANNUAL ALLEGANY NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION & EXHIBITION with "Splash Aurora" - April 2 to 24, 2021 - Allegany Arts Council - Cumberland, MD
2021 WOMEN IN ART - March 4 to 27, 2021 with "Feeding My Soul" - Las Laguna Art Gallery - Laguna Beach, CA
THE MAGIC OF WATER - online exhibit with "Splash Aurora" - Cultural Center of Cape Cod - South Yarmouth, MA
2021 LANDSCAPES - February 4 to 27, 2021 with "Colorful Winter Night" - Las Laguna Art Gallery - Laguna Beach, CA
THE HEALING POWER OF ART 2019 ART EXHIBITION - Manhattan Arts International - Winner of the Award of Excellence for the image "Favorite Spot Aurora"
FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH 2018 EXHIBITION by Lenscratch
RAREFIED LIGHT 2018 - January 14 to February 28, 2019 - Kenai Peninsula College, Kenai/Soldotna, AK
RAREFIED LIGHT 2018 - December 7 to December 30, 2018 - Bear Gallery, Alaska Centennial Center of the Arts, Fairbanks, AK
RAREFIED LIGHT 2018 - September 28 to November 25, 2018 - Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK
COLORS OF WINTER - TALKEETNA PHOTOGRAPHY INVITATIONAL - March 14 to April 8, 2015 - Sheldon Community Arts Hangar, Talkeetna, Alaska
2013-2016 - Collection - Town Square Art Gallery, Wasilla, AK

2013 Alaska Wild - ASOP - Traveling Exhibit through Alaska

Individual Exhibitions

Permanent Exhibition - Aurora Dora Gallery - 22229 S. Talkeetna Spur Rd, Talkeetna, Alaska
2018-2019 - Aurora Dora Gallery - Sedona, Arizona
COLORFUL WINTER NIGHTS - A Winter Chasing Northern Lights - June 8 to July 11, 2013 - Flying Squirrel, Talkeetna, Alaska
CAPTURED CONTRASTS, IMAGES FROM BRAZIL TO ALASKA - June 11 to July 8, 2011 - Denali Arts Council, Talkeetna, Alaska