December 4, 2024, 5:49 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Northern Lights are fascinating spectacles of nature – and attract vacationers and amateur photographers to places beyond the Arctic Circle every winter. But how do you find the lights? And how can they be captured on camera? A photographer provides some tips.
Photographer Markus Kiili takes a plethora of gear with him as he ventures out on his nocturnal quests in the northern Finnish darkness. He has several SLR cameras with him, at least one tripod, and several lenses. He wants to photograph the Northern Lights – and they are unpredictable. This unpredictability is tied to the intricate process by which these dazzling lights dance across the sky, as well as to the capricious nature of the weather.
Overview
The Darker it is, the Stronger the Auroras
“The sun hurls particles into space that are electrically charged: the solar wind, which is constantly racing through space,” explains astrophysicist Emanuel Jacobi, who was in charge of the South Pole Neutrino Observatory IceCube at the South Pole for a year. “The Earth’s magnetic field deflects these solar winds when they come close to us and redirects them to the poles.” This is why the lights are stronger the further north or south you are – and the darker it is.
For travelers, this means: “Any place north and south of the Arctic Circle is a good place to see lights during the winter there,” explains Jacobi. In the Northern Hemisphere, this means that northern Scandinavia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Canada, and Alaska are particularly suitable destinations. In the Southern Hemisphere, you can hardly see the lights outside Antarctica.
Snowfall and dense clouds can prevent you from seeing the auroras. However, the sky does not have to be completely cloud-free. “It can even look good in the pictures if there are clouds between the northern lights,” says Kiili. However, these must then shine brightly. Very important: amateur photographers must stay away from any artificial light.
Photographing the Northern Lights – the Right Camera Settings
This is how it works: Set up the tripod, install the camera, and make the settings. “At night, you’ll want to give the automatic program mode a rest and switch to manual mode,” advises Kiili. You’ll only need the autofocus once – to bring the infinite night sky into sharp relief. “Then, you have to switch off the autofocus straight away.” Otherwise, you risk ending up with blurred images, or the shutter may not even engage.
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The Best Equipment for Photographing the Northern Lights
Opt for a wide-angle lens to envelop as much of the sky’s green and pink hues as you can. “Aim for the smallest possible aperture to allow the lens to open as wide as it can, welcoming in the night’s glow.” Photographers can also tweak the ISO settings to reduce exposure time, adapting swiftly to the aurora’s whims. This helps because the lights in the sky sometimes change quickly.
If you go out into nature to hunt for the Northern Lights, you need to take care of your equipment. In winter, the temperature beyond the Arctic Circle can easily be less than minus 30 degrees. Since batteries tend to discharge rapidly in the cold, it’s wise to keep them snug in your jacket pocket when you’re not snapping shots.
Interestingly, the Northern Lights grace the skies not only during the deep polar nights of winter, when the sun retreats from view. “You can find them from September to May. It’s not quite as cold in the fall and spring,” says photographer Kiili.