AuroraLights

Forecast › Photography

How to photograph the northern lights

To photograph the northern lights, keep the camera completely still on a tripod or a steady surface, use a long exposure in the dark, and focus on a distant light or star. On a phone, turn on night mode. Check the forecast and cloud cover first, and go somewhere away from city lights.

Before you go

  • Check tonight’s aurora forecast for Kp, darkness and clouds. The best hours are usually around midnight (see best time).
  • Pick a dark place with an open view to the north (south in the southern hemisphere). Something in the foreground, like trees, a lake or a building, makes the picture.
  • Bring warm clothes, a charged spare battery (batteries drain faster in the cold) and a small light with a red or dim setting.

With a phone

  1. Put the phone on a small tripod or lean it against something solid. Any movement blurs the picture.
  2. Turn on night mode, or the longest exposure the camera app allows, and turn the flash off.
  3. Tap on the sky to focus, or set focus manually if your app allows it.
  4. Use the self-timer so that pressing the button does not shake the phone.

Phone cameras often show the aurora more clearly than your eyes do, because they collect light for longer.

With a camera

  1. Use a tripod and a wide-angle lens, opened to its widest aperture.
  2. Switch to manual mode and manual focus. Focus on a bright star or a distant light, zoomed in on the screen, then leave the focus alone.
  3. Start with an exposure of a few seconds and raise the ISO until the sky shows. Shorter exposures keep the aurora’s shapes sharp when it moves fast; longer ones help when it is faint.
  4. Use the self-timer or a remote. Check each picture and adjust.
  5. Shoot in RAW if you can, so you can fix the white balance and brightness later.

There are no settings that work every night: the aurora’s brightness, the moon and the light around you all change the result. Take a test shot, look, and adjust.

Aurora guides

The Kp index explainedBest time to see the northern lightsHow to photograph the northern lightsNorthern lights forecast for AlaskaHow this forecast works

Questions and answers

Can I photograph the northern lights with my phone?

Yes. Keep the phone completely still, use night mode or a long exposure, turn the flash off and use the self-timer.

Why does the aurora look stronger in photos?

A camera can collect light for several seconds, so it records faint aurora that your eyes see as pale or grey.

Which direction should I point the camera?

Start towards the north in the northern hemisphere (south in the southern hemisphere). When the aurora is strong it can spread overhead, so look around.