Aurora Tonight

Photography guide

How to photograph the northern lights

Aurora photography requires manual control of exposure settings and a bit of practice. These are the settings and techniques that consistently produce good results.

What you need

Camera with manual mode

Any mirrorless or DSLR with manual exposure control. Must support ISO 800+ and exposures of 5-30 seconds. Most cameras from 2012 onwards qualify.

Fast wide-angle lens

f/2.8 or faster. f/1.8 or f/2.0 on a 24mm equivalent is ideal. Kit zoom lenses (f/3.5-5.6) can work but require higher ISO and longer exposures.

Sturdy tripod

Essential. Exposures of 5-25 seconds mean any movement ruins the frame. A lightweight travel tripod is fine in calm conditions; heavier for windy locations.

Remote shutter release

Optional but useful for avoiding camera shake at the start of each exposure. A two-second self-timer achieves the same effect.

Spare batteries

Cold temperatures drain batteries fast. Carry at least one spare kept warm in an inner pocket. Mirrorless cameras are particularly power-hungry in the cold.

Memory cards

Shoot RAW. RAW files are 3-5x larger than JPEGs. Bring a card with at least 64GB capacity for a full night.

Starting camera settings

Aurora changes quickly. Rather than hunting for a single "correct" exposure, start from a known point and adjust based on what you see on the preview screen. These settings work for moderate activity (Kp 5-6):

ISO

1600

Range: 800-3200

Aperture

f/2.8

Or widest available

Shutter

10s

Range: 5-25s

If the image is underexposed: raise ISO first (to 3200), then lengthen exposure (to 20s). Avoid going beyond ISO 6400 on most cameras as noise becomes difficult to manage.

If the aurora is blurred by movement: shorten the shutter speed to 3-5 seconds and raise ISO to compensate. Active displays move faster than you expect.

For strong activity (Kp 7+): drop the exposure time. Bright aurora at 25 seconds will blow out completely. Try 3-8 seconds at ISO 800-1600.

Focusing in the dark

This is where most aurora photos go wrong. Autofocus will hunt or lock onto the wrong distance. Set focus to manual before it gets dark and follow these steps:

  1. 1 Switch the lens to manual focus (MF) using the physical switch on the barrel.
  2. 2 Enable live view and zoom to 10x magnification on a bright star - or a distant light source at least 1 km away.
  3. 3 Rotate the focus ring slowly until the star resolves to the smallest, sharpest point you can achieve.
  4. 4 Do not touch the focus ring again. Use a strip of tape to secure it if necessary.
  5. 5 Check the first few frames by zooming into stars in the preview. If they are soft, refocus before the aurora starts.

Composition

Aurora photographs with a strong foreground are more interesting than sky-only shots. A lake reflecting the colours, a coastline, a recognisable landmark, or interesting terrain in silhouette gives the image scale and context.

Point the camera to the north - usually where aurora is most active and brightest at UK latitudes. During a strong storm the lights can be overhead or even to the south, but start north. Leave roughly 30-40% of the frame for foreground.

During active periods, capture a series of frames. Single-shot aurora photography misses the movement and structure that give the subject its character. Shooting at five-second intervals during a bright display gives you material to choose from and the option to make a short time-lapse.

Related pages

Tips for Viewing the Northern Lights

Location, timing, and what to look for - the basics of aurora watching.

What Is the Kp Index?

Knowing when aurora is active enough to photograph starts with understanding Kp.

Best Time to See Northern Lights UK

Which months and times of night give the best conditions for aurora in the UK.

Northern Lights UK - Live Forecast

Current aurora visibility forecast for UK locations from live Kp data.

Aurora Forecast Tonight

Live geomagnetic storm status and tonight's northern lights outlook.

Common questions

More on camera settings, gear, and aurora photography technique.

What camera settings should I use for northern lights?
A general starting point: ISO 800-3200, aperture f/2.8 or wider, shutter speed 5-25 seconds. Start with ISO 1600, f/2.8, and 10 seconds. If the image is too dark, increase ISO or lengthen the exposure. If the aurora is moving fast, shorten the exposure to keep it sharp. Adjust from there based on actual conditions.
Do I need a full-frame camera to photograph aurora?
No. A crop-sensor (APS-C) mirrorless or DSLR camera works well. Micro Four Thirds sensors are somewhat less capable in low light but still produce good results. The lens matters more than the sensor. A fast wide-angle lens (f/1.8 or f/2.0 on a 24mm equivalent) on a crop sensor body will outperform a slow kit lens on a full-frame camera.
Can I photograph the northern lights with a smartphone?
Modern flagships can capture faint aurora using their dedicated night or astrophotography modes, which stack multiple frames automatically. Faint activity is difficult even on current phones, but during bright displays (Kp 5+) results are often impressive. Keep the phone steady on a surface or tripod attachment and use a timer or voice trigger to avoid camera shake.
How do I focus on the aurora in the dark?
Manual focus at infinity. On most lenses, infinity is not exactly at the end of the focus ring - there is a small overshoot point. Autofocus will hunt and usually fail in near-darkness. Use live view to zoom into a bright star, then adjust manual focus until the star is a point. Mark that position on the lens with tape. Check focus on your first few frames.
What focal length is best for aurora photography?
Wide angle. A 14-24mm full-frame equivalent gives you the broadest view and captures the full arc or curtain structure when it fills the sky. A 35mm is more selective and better for compositions that include foreground detail. Longer focal lengths are rarely useful - the aurora is a wide-angle subject and a narrow field of view misses most of it.
What white balance should I use?
Set a fixed white balance rather than using auto. Auto white balance shifts between frames, making it difficult to produce a consistent series. A colour temperature of around 3500-4500K (incandescent or custom) tends to preserve the green tones accurately. Shoot RAW so you can adjust white balance in post without any quality loss.
How do I reduce noise in aurora photos?
Shoot RAW and use noise reduction in post - Lightroom, Capture One, or Darktable all handle this well. In-camera JPEG noise reduction is destructive and removes fine detail. Start with ISO 1600 rather than pushing to 6400 unless the scene demands it. Some modern cameras have in-body stacking modes that reduce noise at the capture stage.