Northern Lights Photography Tips for Beautiful Images

Northern Lights Photography

My Best Advice for Magical Photos

 

Northern Lights are magical when you can see them. And if you haven’t noticed, there have been more sightings this past year farther south than ever before. This has to do with the peak of the solar cycle and an increase of solar flares, which enables viewing in areas like New York State. It is expected that the increase of solar activity to continue until the end of 2025. So if you have been wanting to see and photograph this phenomena, this may be your year!

I have been lucky enough to view and photograph the lights four times, all in the past two years. The first time I viewed them was a complete accident while I was vacationing with my family in Iceland. When I realized what I was seeing, I was hooked. There is just something magically addictive about witnessing the northern lights.

To start, you may have heard, but the lights are very fickle. Sometimes they are out in the sky, but you won’t see them with your naked eye- only through a camera lens. Sometimes they are so brief, which is why timing is so important. But once you know what and when to look, that’s when it is time to get your camera out!

Here are my best tips to photographing the lights:

  • First, download a reliable app to help predict when they are expected to show. I use the “aurora” app, which I have found to be really helpful! Of course with most things, it is not an exact science, but more a tool to help you know when to expect it. I have found the app, along with some facebook groups of fellow northern lights watchers, to be helpful. The groups will let you know in real time if people are viewing them and where. A lot of times the app data is slightly behind, so real time info is invaluable. My favorite facebook group is Northern Lights Alert
  • Once you think they may be out, you should find a location with no light pollution and look to the north. If you can’t see anything with the naked eye, look through your camera lens. With a phone, be sure to put it in night mode for best chance of seeing, and with a DSLR you want to turn on a long exposure (I like anywhere from 4-10 seconds).
  • A tripod or steady surface is key, since long exposures are needed. I have balanced on ledges or chairs with my camera pointed up to the sky.
  • As for settings, I keep an open aperature to let in as much light as possible – I like around f/2.5- 2.8 . Shutter speed between 4-10 seconds (can fluctuate based on how vibrant the lights are, and also how much movement there is.) ISO around 800, give or take.

Once you see and photograph this phenomenon, I promise you will be hooked! A friend called it a life changing experience, and it is truly just that. Good luck light hunting!

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I wholeheartedly believe in the power of authentic documentation. Our stories and truths are not only a gift for ourselves, but also through the generations, becoming treasured keepsakes as proof of our place and time. My passion lies in storytelling that focuses on your present moments. Whether our adventures take us deep into the Hudson Valley, high in the Catskill Mountains, or within the comfort of your home, it is always about where you are meant to be and where you feel the most alive.