One of the most amazing things to witness in nature is the Northern Lights. It’s a phenomenon that will leave a lasting impression on you. You can typically see the Northern Lights in places such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lapland, Finland.

The physics of how the Northern Lights occur is quite complicated but to put it simply the lights are created by the interaction of solar wind with gases in the upper atmosphere. For a more detailed explanation Mads Peterson has an excellent YouTube Video linked here. The good news is that you don’t need to understand it to enjoy it.

In this blog I will provide my tips of how to photograph the lights.

Photographing the Northern Lights is extremely fun and rewarding. After seeing it the first time in Lapland, Finland we were hooked. We kept thinking about them and when we could see them again. The most frustrating part is that they are not 100 percent predictable. Many tourist will make the journey thinking they happen every night.  

On our first trip to Lapland in 2018 we were very lucky to see them the first night. In 2019 we spend 8 nights in the Lofoten Islands on a Photography Workshop and only saw the Northern Lights on the first night.

So lets begin with what you will need to bring with you. Unfortunately you cannot photograph the Northern Lights properly with your cellphone.

Photography Gear

1. A Full Frame DSLR or Mirrorless Camera— A full frame camera (DSLR or Mirrorless) is preferred because of the ability to shoot in low light. It is also better to be able to shoot in Manual Mode since you will be changing ISO and Shutter Speed repeatedly.

2. A Sturdy Tripod —You will be doing long exposures of at least 5 seconds, so you really want the camera to be as stable as possible. It’s best to invest ONCE in a good quality tripod that will last for years. I am using a RRS Travel Tripod with a BH-40 Ballhead but any good tripod will work well.

3. A Wide Angle “Fast Lens”—You want a fast lens which allows the camera to catch as much light as possible. This means a lens that can shoot at f1.8, 2.8 or up to f4. The lower the f-stop the faster the lens since it provides a wider aperture allowing more light to hit the sensor. I used a Canon EOS EF 14 mm f2.8 prime lens. Any wide angle lens works but the wider the better. However, you don’t want to shoot wider than 24 mm.

4. Batteries —in cold conditions, batteries drain much faster and therefore lose their capacity quickly. You should bring 2-3 batteries with you since you are not only shooting long exposures that utilize a lot of battery but also the cold temperatures will cause the batteries to drain much faster. It is also a good idea to not put the battery into the camera until you arrive on location. Also keep the spare batteries in a pocket close to you body so they stay warmer and retain capacity. .

5. A Cable Release or the Ability to Shoot on a Timer—a cable release will help reduce vibrations when you release the shutter. I personally prefer a cable release or shooting on a 2 second delay to avoid Camera Shake.

Know your Camera Before Going Out

It’s really important to understand how to dial in the settings before you go out. This is especially true if you are not use to shooting in Manual. When you are outside in the cold and its dark its not the time to learn how to change your ISO for example.

I always bring a red headlamp with me so that I can make changes to the settings.

How to Predict the Aurora (Northern Lights)

You need clear skies and a dark location with minimal light pollution. I prefer to have some clouds to give more depth to the Northern Lights but a clear night is also excellent to shoot the lights.

So I use 2 different types of Apps for predicting the weather and the Aurora. The first are Weather predictors and the second are Aurora Predictors. My preferred weather apps are YR.No, Meteoblue, Clear Outside, and Accuweather.

Aurora Apps will give you a KPI score between 0 and 9.  The KPI is a predictor of how strong the lights will be. The KPI index ranges from 0 to 9 (0 being very weak, 9 being a once in a lifetime with very strong auroras visible).

Aurora Pro is my favorite predictor since it gives you a 2 week forecast. Ideally, you want the KPI to be above 3 or higher.  Once you reach a KPI of 5-6 you are extremely lucky and will see an incredible show. I also use Light Pollution Map (LPM) which gives you an idea about light pollution in your location.

Composition

If you want to take a great photo of the lights you need to do your homework and scout locations during the daylight. Composition is very important. The lights without a good foreground (i..e, an old church, house) and mid-ground (i.e., Mountains, Water) will not produce a great image. You also want to try to find some leading lines to make the image even better.

Camera Settings for the Northern Lights

Once you have found a great composition and set up your camera on a tripod its now time to dial in the proper settings.

The first step is focusing your camera to Infinity.  The goal is to focus so that the brightest stars look tack sharp. It is usually too dark at night to be able to count on the autofocus mode of your camera so knowing how to do this in advance is very helpful. While most lenses have an infinity sign on the focus ring, you might not have a sharp image by just lining up the infinity sign on your lens. For example, I find the best sharpness on my lens just to the right of center. Again make sure everything is sharp. I will often use gaffers tape to tape together the focus ring and lens barrel to make sure that I will not inadvertently turn the ring at night in the dark. It happens more often than you think!!

Once you have established focus make sure to switch the lens to manual focus so that the settings do not accidentally change. You will want to make sure the image is tack sharp and it’s important to repeatedly check if your images are sharp. There is nothing worse then spending a few hours in the cold taking photos and coming back with out of focus shots.

Shoot RAW

Shoot RAW. Raw files give you much more flexibility in post-processing than a regular compressed Jpeg file.

ISO

I will usually range between ISO 1000 and 3200 but will begin at ISO 1600. I take a test shot at ISO 1600 and then increase or decrease accordingly.

Aperture

You need a lens with a large aperture such as f2.8 or f4. Of course if you have something below f2.8 its even better but it will be very expense. I use my Canon EOS EF 14 mm f2.8 lens.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed is the one setting you will change most often. It will depend on the intensity of the aurora. If the aurora is moving quite fast, it is better to try to shorten the exposure so you do not get green blobs. Of course this will change depending on the intensity of the aurora. The brighter auroras will require a “short” exposure time such as 5-8 seconds while for the fainter ones will need additional time up to 15-25 seconds.

You also want to avoid Star Trails. The best way to avoid Star Trails is to use the 500 rule. The 500 Rule requires that you divide 500 by your focal length. Keep in mind this is based on a full frame camera. The 500 Rule will give you the longest exposure time (in Seconds) before you begin to see star trails. For example, if you are shooting with a 50mm lens, your shutter speed would be 10 seconds (500 / 50 = 10 seconds). In my case, I am using a 14 mm lens so 500 divided by 14 = 36 seconds. So if I keep my shutter speed open less than 36 seconds I will not see Star Trails.

Here is a Chart to Help Make the Calculation Quickly

Watching the Histogram

I like to keep an eye on the Histogram. The Histogram should not be pushing against the left side.

White Balance

If you save your photos in your camera’s RAW format, then you do not need to worry too much about the white balance. You can always set it up to your liking afterwards in a photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom. I recommend setting the white balance manually between 3500 and 4000 K. I personally use 3800K.

So in Summary

• Shoot in Manual

• Shoot RAW

• Aperture: f2.8 (or your fastest lens f4)

• Focus to Infinity on your widest lens i.e., 14mm, 16mm, 24mm

• ISO 1600 to Start—this will depend on conditions but you can range (800-3200 ISO) depending on how bright the light is that night. If the moon is visible you might. be able to use a lower ISO.

• Shutter Speed—I would begin at 6 seconds and can go up to 30 seconds

Its very important to begin with the base settings such as the ones I provided. Take a photo—LOOK AT IT carefully—and adjust—if its too dark increase your ISO or Increase the length of time the shutter is open. If you keep the shutter open too long you will begin to get star trails which I do not recommend.

Wait there is one more thing…..Clothing to Stay Warm

You need to be dressed so that you can be warm for hours in the cold. Most likely you will be outside for a few hours. So the best thing is to have multiple layers of clothing. Here is a link to my Winter Packing List https://chasinghippoz.com/travel-photo-blog/packing-list-for-winter-photography-trips

• Base Layers—I would wear a Top & Bottom Midlayer. You want to make sure it is Merino wool that wicks away moisture. Definitely don’t wear cotton. I personally love the brand Icebreaker but there are tons of other good brands like REI, Patagonia, Arcteryx etc.

• Socks and Footwear—there is nothing worse than cold feet. Once your feet are cold you will be cold within minutes. So you will also need warm socks (perhaps 2 pairs at the same time if your feet get cold) and warm winter arctic boots with a thick sole. I was very happy with my Arctic Sorel Boots.

• Pants—you will want to wear a pair of winter hiking pants that are not only warm but wind-proof. There are many brands to choose from I have a great pair from Fjallraven. I would not wear Jeans they will not be warm enough.

• Fleece—I brought 2 fleeces that I would wear over my Base Layer. Again there are many good brands from REI, Patagonia, North Face etc. I used Arcteryx and was very happy and warm.

• A Heavy Down Jacket—Over the fleece I would wear a heavy-weight 850 Fill Down Jacket in the morning and evening.

• A Rain & Wind Proof Shell—You will also want a shell that shields you from the Wind.

• Gloves and Hats—finally you will need a warm wool cap in the morning especially. I also used a pair of warm gloves each morning. Of course a pair of “photographer friendly” gloves that allow your index and thumb tip to come off so you can manipulate your camera is very helpful. I use the North Face E-tip glove as a base layer and the Vallerret Photography Gloves.

• Hand-Warmers—hand and foot warms will save the day. They are cheap and really work well. I buy these ones from HotHands on Amazon.

If you have the chance to see the Northern Lights don’t miss it. It’s really something to behold. I cannot wait to see them again and I am already planning the next adventure.