That nature photography is extraordinary and fascinating and offers wonderful gifts, it is something that we know very well. Now, if there is a magical and admirable event related to it, it is the Northern Lights. A dance of lights in the sky that has no comparison. Her beauty is absolutely indescribable and everyone who sees her gets caught up in her magic. And of course, an event like this is so attractive to photograph that surely you have ever considered escaping to capture them with your camera. Well, if it has crossed your mind, you are in the right place. The season begins when they can be seen and we are going to tell you where, when and how to photograph them. You can not lose this! Just as you cannot miss this mega guide that we have prepared for you with tips and tricks if yours is night photography, of whatever kind.
What is the Aurora Borealis?
I could tell you about how or why it happens, but in reality this is a photography blog and the truth is that explaining the physical part of the matter takes away its magic. I prefer to leave you a photograph so you know what we are talking about. I will only tell you that they have to do with the activity of the sun, words like particles and latitudes are too short and ugly when it comes to presenting something as magical as this:
Where to photograph the Northern Lights
Of course, of course, to photograph them you will have to travel (probably) very far, unless you live close to the places from where they can be seen. And also take risks, because it is a phenomenon that can be more or less predicted, but like rain, predictions are not exact and no matter how close the experts are to reality, nature in the end is capricious and unpredictable.
So you can travel and come back without seeing them, that’s why I’m going to tell you the places from which they are best seen and most likely 😉 But I insist, do not base your trip only on this purpose because you run the risk of “going We don’t want that either, do we? The places where this phenomenon occurs are attractive enough in themselves to visit and enjoy them on a personal and photographic level. Now you choose the one that interests you the most, attracts you or can 😉
In finland:
- Utsjoki, which is the northernmost Finnish town. It is where the most Northern Lights are seen in all of Finland.
- National Northern Lights Observatory of Finland in Sodankylä.
- Lake Inari.
In Norway:
- Although they can be seen from anywhere in the country, they are best seen above the Arctic Circle to the north. There is the call ‘Northern Lights Belt’ crosses Northern Norway through the Lofoten Islandsa highly recommended place like Tromso.
In Iceland:
- Reykjavik.
- geothermal area of landmannalaugar: a very interesting place from which to see them, but you have to plan ahead as they are not open all year round and you need an SUV to get there.
- The Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón.
In alaska:
- Northern and central Alaska.
In Canada:
These are some recommended places, however, I must remind you that to photograph them, just as you would with the stars, you have to get away from atmospheric and light pollution, because wanting to see them is not the same as photographing them. You will need to be dark around and away from pollution. Put distance between airports, cities, etc. and you.
When to photograph the Northern Lights
As a general rule, you can see them between the end of September and the beginning of March and the ideal time is one or two hours before and after midnight. Two days after solar storms are usually much more abundant and spectacular.
In Alaska you will be able to see them more safely between November and January. In Iceland from the end of August they already begin to appear and they do so until mid-April.
I leave you where you can look at the prediction in:
Watch out!: the clouds will not let you see the auroras, so if the sky is closed, better stay resting but without getting too distracted, check the sky from time to time and if you see that it clears, run away!
Equipment to photograph Northern Lights
This is the equipment with the photographic accessories that you are going to need and you will have to have ready when the long-awaited one appears:
- Tripod: Oh yeah, you’re not going to get off this time. It’s not the lightest thing to do night hiking through the snow thousands of miles from home, but yes, you’ll need it to be able to make long exposures and capture the beauty of the aurora.
- Camera with manual adjustments and that allows long exposure type reflex or EVIL.
- Goal wide angle and large aperture: a wide angle will help you to capture a greater part of the landscape and the aurora and if it is bright, even better ;).
- Bring a card spare memory: you are going to shoot in RAW, also a lot of photos, better not to risk and take enough space so you don’t regret it right there and end up pulling your hair out or deleting photos on-site to keep shooting. It would be a real shame.
- Replacement battery: something even worse could be running out of battery. In case you don’t know, batteries discharge faster in the cold, and it will do a lot there. In addition, with long exposures they also empty earlier. Don’t forget to bring a spare 😉
- Remote Switch: if possible with a timer (be careful that some only reach 30 seconds), like this one for Canon or this one for Nikon. Make sure it is compatible with your camera.
- Handwarmer: this is not a very photographic article but with so much cold you will appreciate it. Here is an examplealthough the offer is wide.
- Headlamp: as for example this. Yes, of course, this is also optional, like the hand warmer, but it will allow you to have your hands free when handling the camera. Recommendations: try to turn it off when you go to shoot, put it to the minimum (whenever you can see, of course), and if you have a choice, use a red light.
How to photograph the Northern Lights step by step
Now I will tell you, step by step (or almost), how to photograph this unique phenomenon:
- Look north. Auroras are known as northern lights for a reason 😉 If you are going to see and photograph them, find a place where it is clear and/or there is an interesting element to include in the frame.
- Get in the front row. Make sure no one stands in front of you and spoils your photo. Stand in the front row 😉 Of course, don’t stand in front of others either, better one next to the other ;).
- Plant the camera on the tripod and do the following settings.
- Be careful with the ISO. Try to use a low value or the noise will be too noticeable, but don’t set it too low to catch light. Start at 200 and try it out.
- Set the brightness of your LCD down.
- Shoot in RAW. Yes, listen to me, you are not going to hit a trip of so many kilometers, get cold and leave most of the information on the road. Treat it all home that you will likely need it when editing.
- Focus to infinity. At night the camera can go crazy trying to focus automatically so it’s better to set it to manual. Focus on a point in the sky, such as a planet, and make sure by zooming through your Live View (if you have one) that it appears sharp. (Trick: sticking some duct tape on the lens to secure it will prevent inadvertent movement of the ring).
- Take care of the composition. As interesting as the aurora itself is, you can’t just shoot. Try to compose your photograph so that it is attractive to the viewer, includes part of the landscape, eliminates distracting elements, ensures that no one sneaks into the frame, etc. It may be a good time to take a look at these articles on landscapes from the blog.
- If you are going to expose below 30 seconds set to priority mode aperture, above it switches to Bulb mode. In priority mode you can over expose one or two steps. Although the ideal is that you try and depending on the results decide.
- Use a wide aperture. Depending on what your lens allows, use as wide an aperture as possible.
- Adjust the exposure time to your liking. Perform different tests between 8 and 60 seconds and decide on the result that most convinces you. Yes, more evidence, did you think this was coming and kissing the saint? Well no, photography is like that, also whimsical but that’s the beauty, if it were too easy it wouldn’t have so much charm and it would end up boring us.
- Check the histogram. The screen can trick you into making the lights brighter than they are. Check out the histogram that never lies.
extra help
- Check location during the day: If you have the possibility, visit the place during the day to plan in advance where to place the tripod, the frame, etc.
You dare? It’s not to run away, I know, it’s to plan ahead, but don’t tell me you haven’t been bitten by the bug? 😉 And if you already had it planned and this guide is what you were looking for, I hope I have been of help to you. In that case, I invite you to share it so that it can help others too ;).
Thank you very much for reading this far and until next time!