Photographing the Northern Lights Guide – Tips and Tricks  

Oh my god there it is. Stay calm, I’m trying too, but it’s hard. And so it went after an epic 5 1/2 hour journey across Iceland’s south coast, we arrived at the glacial lagoon after midnight and the sky opened up. First attempt, success, its pin sharp; whoop, and whoop.

Glacial lagoon – Iceland .. My first attempt and experience of the lights. Happy Camper!

Lofoten 2020                      Iceland South 2020                         Iceland North 2020

The feeling within groups when they see the northern lights for the first time tends to be panic. There’s so much expectation, it’s an absolutely key aspect of anyone’s trip. Stay calm, what settings do I need. Damn it, just calm down and stop panicking. Focus, focus, for god’s sake.

S**t, S**t, bleep, bleep, bleep .. Turn off that bloody light, you’re ruining everyone’s pictures .. But I’m not focused, I can’t focus. S**t, s**t, bleep, bleep, bleep .. I’ve missed it.

A good instructor might help 🙂

Let’s talk technical; but before we do that, let’s be calm. We have experienced the northern lights more times than we can possibly relay. It can be fleeting, it comes in peaks and troughs, calm glow and intense bursts that take your breath away. Clouds can come in and out, and sometimes you only get a short-lived glimpse. But, most of the time, you have a little bit of a window, so stay calm, get ready as quickly as you can, but no quicker. Focus, in every sense of the word. Arrive early, be patient and wait, be prepared.

Daragh and Thor under the night sky deep in the Highlands of Iceland

While we can’t speak for other workshop operators, we can say at ExploreLight we go around to everyone individually, make sure their cameras are focused, and check their composition, white balance and general camera settings. Shameless self-promotion aside, having someone with you that has some experience, makes a huge difference to the quality of your shots. It’s tough shooting in the dark, especially for the first time, having to use a totally different range of settings and focusing techniques. But read on and there are a few tips below that should help you on your way.

Lens Choice

A fast wide lens is typically what works best for shooting night scenes. By fast I mean, a wide aperture. 1.4, 1.8 or 2.8. F4 can be fine too but having that extra stop can make all the difference when the light levels are low.

A wide lens is also vitally important. Personally, I use a Nikon 14 – 24, 2.8. It’s a great all-purpose lens for my general landscape work and works fantastically well for the night shooting too. Link above I got mine at Conns.

We were treated to a special light show deep in Iceland’s central highlands. Just enough moonlight to pop the moss green peak.. 14mm, F2.8 ISO 800 at 13 seconds.

Lofoten 2020                      Iceland South 2020                         Iceland North 2020

Camera Settings

I suggest a baseline test exposure at ISO 1600, F2.8 at 30 seconds. Its a good range to take a look at the exposure. If possible bring the shutter speed down a bit to make sure your stars are sharp.  Remember though, if you don’t have a really wide lens, i.e. 14mm, your stars will show movement at 30 seconds. 15 seconds in general would be preferable but a lot of the time there simply is not enough light. It’s also a good idea to see what ISO your camera can handle in advance of a northern lights trip. Do some tests. IE, what’s the highest ISO setting with acceptable amounts of grain.

I shoot with a Nikon D4s and a Nikon d850. I’m happy to push these to ISO 3200 and still feel happy that I can make a 30 inch print.

It’s also important to monitor the exposure. The Northern Lights will vary in intensity, and as such you will need to vary your exposures to compensate for the variation in light levels. There can be a big surge and highlights can easily blow out. For example, I’ve started shooting at ISO 1600, F2.8, 30 seconds and had to change to ISO 400, f.4, 15 seconds. Huge swings. Watch out for them.

The Ice Beach ! 2.8, 15 seconds, ISO 1600
Glacial lagoon .. 2.8, 20 seconds, ISO 1600

Focusing

 So how do you focus in pitch-black surroundings? Well this can be a bit tricky, but there are a variety of methods that we employ. When we are running ExploreLight workshops we always make sure everyone’s camera is focused. A few methods below.

  1. Have someone with a headlamp stand approx 50 yards from everyone and shine their headlamp back towards you. Then use single point auto focus to lock onto the light. Make sure to focus using the same focal length you intend to shoot with. Do this away from other people that may be shooting nearby. There’s nothing worse than a rogue headlamp to ruin a good shot.
  2. Use single point auto focus to lock onto a nearby light. Street lamp, house, bridge etc. This is unlikely to work in Iceland but if you’re shooting in Lofoten then there are lots of little lights to lock onto. A few too many.
  3. Just feel the force. Turn your manual focus ring to infinity then just bring it back a few mm. Zoom in afterwards to check its in focus and adjust as necessary. When you really get to know your lens this is the quickest and easiest way to focus. However, most people don’t shoot enough at night to ever really get a feel for this, so probably best to go with the safer methods in 1 and 2.
In Lofoten there are locations you can use house lights to focus. Beware the tricky blend at this location!

Foreground, Foreground, Foreground, Foreground, Foreground

That’s not a typo. Did I mention foreground is important?

I appreciate its exciting to see that green pop on the back of your screen for the first time. It’s pretty darn epic to be fair. But a green sky and nothing else is not a good picture. Just like a great sunset is nothing without a complimentary foreground.

We plan this aspect of the ExploreLight workshops meticulously. We try to have a variety of options wherever we go. Generally, we are looking for water and ice as the lighter tones in both reflects the green from the sky, and provides a really interesting dynamic to the images.

Little cottages Lofoten make a great foreground. Patterns on a beach Lofoten and a thin film of water picking up the light.
The water picks up just enough light to create shape to the foreground.
Sweeping lines and reflecting water make for a great foreground.

Clothing

Don’t forget when your out shooting the northern lights it tends to be in the depths of winter, in not so warm places like Iceland or Norway. You’re also likely to be standing outside not moving that much potentially for hours on end. Wrap up well. Layers are essential, and not the Photoshop variety. Hand warmers, feet warmers, all these things can help you stay out longer and make better images.

In Conclusion

I hope this small guide helps you take better pictures on your northern lights adventures. Its truly is an epic experience that can stir the soul.

If you fancy having us help you in person through all things northern lights, monitor the weather, choose the locations and generally go to the ends of the earth to make sure you have a great trip then why not join us in Iceland soon!

Lofoten 2020                      Iceland South 2020                         Iceland North 2020

 

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