Learning how to photograph aurora borealis is one of the most rewarding challenges in landscape photography. The northern lights are one of nature's most spectacular optical phenomena — and understanding what causes them will not only deepen your appreciation as a photographer, but help you predict, chase, and photograph it more effectively."
What is Aurora Borealis?
The Sun continuously emits a stream of charged particles — electrons and protons — known as the solar wind. As a result, earth's magnetosphere deflects most of this stream, but at the polar regions, where magnetic field lines converge and dip toward the surface, these particles funnel down into the upper atmosphere (roughly 100–300 km altitude) and collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules.
Those collisions excite the gas molecules, which then release energy as visible light. Specifically, different gases at different altitudes produce different colors: oxygen at high altitudes emits a rare red hue, oxygen at lower altitudes produces the iconic green, and nitrogen yields blues and purples. The result is a dynamic, shifting curtain of light unique to every single night.
Green (most common)
Oxygen at ~100 km altitude.
The iconic curtain of green seen in most aurora photos.
Solar activity and the Kp index
Aurora Borealis intensity correlates directly with solar activity — specifically with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and high-speed solar wind streams. The Kp index (a 0–9 scale measuring global geomagnetic disturbance) is the primary metric photographers rely on. In practice, a Kp of 5 or higher constitutes a geomagnetic storm; at Kp 9, auroras can be seen as far south as Spain or the US Midwest. We are currently in Solar Cycle 25, which reached solar maximum in late 2024 — meaning activity levels remain elevated well into 2026 and beyond.
Where to See the Northern Lights
Auroras occur within the auroral oval — a ring-shaped zone centered on the geomagnetic poles, not the geographic ones. Under normal conditions (Kp 3–4), the oval sits between 65° and 72° north latitude. During strong storms, it expands significantly southward.
As for the southern hemisphere, the best place to see the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) is Antarctica, but you can spot it also in Southern Australia, Southern New Zealand or in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina/Chile).
Importantly, dark sky certification is a meaningful differentiator. Light pollution is your enemy. The Bortle scale rates sky darkness from 1 (pristine) to 9 (inner city). Target Bortle 2 or lower for serious work. Use Light Pollution Map to scout genuinely dark locations within driving distance of your base. Even 30–40 km from a small town can make a significant difference.
Look for locations with compelling foreground — frozen lakes reflect the aurora borealis dramatically, mountain silhouettes add drama, and sod houses or traditional architecture give a sense of place. Avoid flat featureless terrain unless you're going for minimalism.
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Iceland
Year-round access; Reykjavik is light-polluted but the highlands offer extraordinary clarity. No need for domestic flights — drive an hour from the capital.
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Northern Norway
Tromsø is the world's most visited aurora destination. The fjords and snow-capped peaks provide dramatic foreground. Predictable dark skies from October to March.
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Finnish Lapland
Saariselkä and Luosto have minimal light pollution and pine forest canopy for compositional depth. Glass igloo lodges allow shooting from bed — though a real photographer will be outdoors in (extreme sometimes) minus temperatures.
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Abisko, Sweden
Home to the Aurora Sky Station, Abisko benefits from a unique microclimate — a persistent clear-sky corridor created by Lake Torneträsk that makes it one of the clearest spots in the entire auroral oval.
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Yukon & NWT, Canada
Whitehorse and Yellowknife sit directly under the oval. Vast skies, minimal horizon obstruction, and extreme cold (which means exceptionally dry, clear air).
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Alaska, USA
Fairbanks averages over 240 aurora nights per year. The flat interior is ideal for wide-angle framing and the Brooks Range provides spectacular silhouettes in the north.
When to see the Northern Lights
Auroras occur year-round — it is the lack of darkness that limits summer sightings at high latitudes, not reduced solar activity. The optimal season runs from late September through late March, when nights are long enough to provide several hours of astronomical darkness. To successfully photograph aurora borealis, timing your trip around the equinox months and new moon phases gives you the best statistical odds.
The weeks around the autumn and spring equinoxes (late September and late March) are historically the most active for aurora due to favorable alignment of Earth's magnetic field with the solar wind's IMF (interplanetary magnetic field) — a phenomenon known as the Russell-McPherron effect.
Aurora forecast apps and tools
Photograph aurora borealis demands that you monitor multiple data streams simultaneously. No single app provides the complete picture — professionals layer space weather data, magnetometer readings, and cloud cover forecasts to make a go/no-go decision.
TOOL
BEST FOR
PLATFORM
PRICE
Space Weather Live
Real-time solar wind, Bz component, Kp index — essential dashboard
FREE
My Aurora Forecast
Push notifications for Kp threshold alerts; location-aware cloud cover overlay.
FREE/PRO
Cloud cover forecasts with cloud layers — critical for site selection
Web, iOS, Android
FREE/PRO
The one metric that matters most
Beyond the Kp index, experienced aurora photographers watch the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field. When Bz turns strongly negative (southward-pointing), it allows the solar wind to couple efficiently with Earth's magnetosphere, dramatically increasing aurora probability and intensity — regardless of the broader Kp forecast. A Kp of 4 with Bz at –20 nT will produce a far better display than a Kp of 6 with Bz near zero.
How to Photograph Aurora Borealis
Photographing the aurora borealis begins long before you press the shutter of your camera. It requires preparation, patience, and an understanding of the unique conditions in which the northern lights appear. From choosing the right location and checking the weather, to dressing for subzero temperatures and mastering camera settings, every detail can make the difference between a fleeting glimpse and a stunning photograph.
Here are some essential tips and techniques to ensure your aurora adventure is both safe and successful, allowing you to fully embrace the magic of the northern lights.
Preparing for the Environment
To photograph aurora borealis successfully, you need to prepare your body as much as your gear. Layering is essential: start with a thermal base layer to trap heat, add an insulating mid-layer such as fleece or down, and top it with a waterproof and windproof shell. Extremities are particularly vulnerable—gloves or mittens with liner gloves for dexterity, thick wool socks, and insulated waterproof boots are mandatory. A hat or balaclava and a neck gaiter protect against heat loss from the head and face, while hand and foot warmers can be lifesavers during long exposures. Even short periods of exposure can become dangerous without proper preparation, so prioritize comfort and safety.
Dark Adaptation
When photographing the aurora borealis, your eyes often underestimate what your camera can capture. In darkness, vision shifts from cones (color and detail) to rods (highly light-sensitive but mostly monochrome), a process called dark adaptation, which can take 20–30 minutes.
As a result, reds and purples in the aurora may appear muted or gray to you, even though your camera can capture vibrant colors. Protect your night vision by avoiding white light and using red lights, pre-focus and frame shots ahead of time, and rely on your camera’s histogram rather than your eyes to judge exposure.
Comfort, Endurance, and Workflow
Long nights in subzero temperatures demand both physical endurance and mental focus. Bring high-calorie snacks and hot beverages in a thermos to maintain energy and warmth. Short warm-up breaks can prevent fatigue and frostbite. An insulated mat can make standing for extended periods more manageable. Professional aurora photography is as much about pacing yourself as it is about pressing the shutter.
Workflow efficiency is also key. Pre-plan exposure sequences, camera angles, and potential compositions before the aurora appears. Consider blending exposures in post-processing to manage dynamic range and foreground illumination while maintaining the natural glow of the northern lights.
Essential Gear to Photograph Aurora Borealis
Capturing the aurora borealis is a dream for many photographers, but it requires more than just pointing a camera at the sky. The right gear ensures you can shoot under extreme conditions, maximize image quality, and capture the ethereal beauty of the aurora.
Camera
Full-frame DSLRs or mirrorless cameras excel in low-light photography due to larger sensors that reduce noise. Look for cameras with excellent high-ISO performance, fast continuous shooting, and a fully manual mode for exposure control.
Lens
Fast prime lenses are recommended (Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art, Viltrox 16mm f/1.8, Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S) as they maximize light gathering. Avoid zoom lenses at the slower end — f/4 costs you two full stops versus f/2. Coma performance at wide apertures matters: test your lens at the corners before the trip.
Tripod
A sturdy tripod is non-negotiable. Long exposures—even a few seconds—require absolute stability to avoid blur. Lightweight travel tripods are convenient, but make sure they can withstand cold winds.
Bring also:
- extra batteries with you as cold weather drains batteries rapidly. Carry multiple fully charged batteries in insulated pockets close to your body.
- extra memory cards. High-capacity and fast cards are essential for shooting RAW and timelapse sequences. Always carry backups.
- headlamp with Red Light (the Red light preserves night vision while allowing you to adjust settings in the dark. White light can ruin your eyes’ adaptation to darkness).
Aurora Borealis Photography Techniques
The most forgettable attempts to photograph aurora borealis are those where the sky fills the frame with nothing to anchor the viewer. As with all landscape work, foreground is everything. Scout your location in daylight: frozen lakes for reflections, ancient trees for scale, mountain ridgelines for structural tension. A compelling composition conceived in the afternoon survives a mediocre aurora; a stunning display cannot rescue a lazy composition.
Consider orientation carefully. Vertical framing exaggerates the height of the auroral curtain; horizontal framing places the lights in environmental context. Avoid the temptation to center the most active part of the display — work with the rule of thirds and leave negative space for the glow to breathe into.
Always focus manually using live view magnified to 10x on a bright star. Autofocus will hunt and fail in low light. Set focus slightly inside infinity (most modern lenses overshoot the true infinity mark). Confirm focus on every lens change and after significant temperature drops, which can shift focal length.
There is no single universal exposure for aurora. The correct settings depend on activity level (faint glow vs. active dancing curtains), available ambient light (moonlight, civil twilight), and your desired aesthetic. Use these as baselines and adjust in real time.
My camera settings to photograph aurora borealis
During my trip to Tromsø (Norway) to photograph aurora borealis, I used my Nikon Z8 with a Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 prime lens. I chose this lens because it is very fast and wide enough to include both the sky and the landscape in the frame. It allowed me to use shorter exposure times while preserving more detail in the aurora’s structures.
To avoid coma distortion on the stars at the edges (where stars appear slightly “stretched” in photos), I set an aperture of f/2 – f/2.2 so that the stars would appear more point-like and the image would look cleaner.
The following starting settings proved reliable in most of my shots and worked surprisingly well in most aurora situations:
• f/2
• 6 s
• ISO 1200
Before shooting, I set my Nikon Z8 to Manual mode (M). In the settings menu, I enabled Starlight View to make manual focusing easier (d10). Starlight View increases display brightness and improves AF sensitivity (down to -9 EV) without affecting the final exposure of the photo.
Then, I set View Mode (Photo LV) to ON (d9).
Using the Live View display, I aimed at the brightest star. I activated image magnification using the + magnifier button and rotated the focus ring until the star appeared as the smallest and sharpest possible point. Once focus was achieved, I did not touch the focus ring again. To exit, I pressed the center button of the multi-selector to return to the normal view. I took a test shot at high ISO and zoomed in on the display to check accuracy before proceeding with the photo session.
