PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE

How to Photograph the Northern Lights

The aurora is faint, fast-moving and almost invisible to phone cameras on auto. This guide covers the exact camera settings, lenses and technique our guides use every clear night in Rovaniemi — and how recent phones can manage too. New to the aurora? Start with what the northern lights are and how they form.

READING THE SETTINGS

Aurora Camera Settings — Quick Reference

Starting points for a typical display. Adjust to the conditions — a bright, fast aurora may only need 3 seconds at ISO 800.

5 – 15 s

Shutter speed

Shorter for fast, bright aurora; longer when faint and still.

1600 – 3200

ISO

Start at 1600 and raise it if the display looks too dark.

f/1.4 – f/2.8

Aperture

As wide as the lens allows — the single biggest factor.

Manual ∞

Focus

Autofocus hunts in the dark. Set to infinity and lock it.

Required

Tripod

Non-negotiable. Even 5 s handheld will blur.

Manual (M)

Mode

Auto and semi-auto modes fail in near-darkness.

CAMERA BODY

Mirrorless or DSLR for the Aurora?

Both can capture the northern lights well, but mirrorless bodies have the edge in near-darkness — live exposure preview, silent shutter and strong high-ISO performance.

Mirrorless

Cleaner high-ISO on recent models
Electronic viewfinder previews exposure live
Silent shutter — no vibration
Focus peaking makes infinity focus easy
Lighter to handle with gloves

DSLR

Optical viewfinder is dark — use live view
Mirror slap can shake long exposures
Fully capable with a fast wide prime
Excellent f/1.4 lens options exist
Often better battery life in cold

What we use

Our guides shoot Sony α7 mirrorless bodies with f/1.4–f/1.8 prime lenses — clean results at ISO 1600–2000 even on faint nights. Good alternatives: Nikon Z, Canon R, Fujifilm X-T. Capable DSLRs: Nikon D750/D810, Canon 6D Mark II.

LENSES

The Lens Matters More Than the Camera Body

Aperture decides how much light reaches the sensor. An f/1.4 lens gathers four times more light than f/2.8 — meaning shorter exposures and far less motion blur when the aurora dances.

f/1.4 – f/1.8

Best

Fast prime lenses. Maximum light, sharpest results. 14–24mm is ideal.

f/2 – f/2.8

Good

Many quality zooms. Very workable — just nudge ISO up a little.

f/3.5 – f/4

Minimum

Kit-lens territory. Fine on bright nights; risks blur at high ISO.

f/5.6+

Avoid

Telephoto zooms can’t gather enough light without extreme, noisy ISO.

Focal length: 14–24mm (full-frame equivalent) is the sweet spot — wide enough for the full aurora band and the landscape below. 35mm is about the longest you’d want.

TECHNIQUE

Focus, Exposure and Getting a Sharp Shot

Focus at infinity

Turn autofocus off and set the focus ring to ∞. Shoot a bright star and zoom into the preview — a sharp point means you’re set.

Use a 2-second timer

Pressing the shutter shakes the camera. A 2-second self-timer or remote lets the vibration settle before the exposure begins.

Read the histogram

Review the histogram, not the screen — cold dims the LCD and fools your eye. Adjust ISO or shutter from what it shows.

Set white balance manually

3200–4000K keeps the sky a natural cool tone. Auto white balance adds yellow. Shoot RAW if you can, to fine-tune later.

Mind the cold battery

Cold drains batteries fast — capacity can halve below −15°C. Keep a spare warm in an inside pocket.

When the aurora moves fast

During strong activity, drop to 2–5 s and raise ISO to 3200–6400 to freeze the shapes. A long exposure of fast aurora just smears to green fog.

PHONE CAMERAS

Can You Photograph the Aurora With a Phone?

Recent flagship phones — iPhone 15 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24, Google Pixel 8 — can capture the northern lights using Night mode. Here is how to give yourself the best chance.

Use Night or Astro mode

Select Night mode, or a dedicated Astrophotography mode if your phone has one. It runs a multi-second exposure automatically.

Keep it dead still

Rest the phone on a rock, snowbank or your pack — ideally a tripod with a phone mount. Stabilisation alone is not enough at 5–10 seconds.

Try Pro / manual mode

Set shutter to 5–10 s, ISO 800–1600 and focus to infinity for more control than the automatic Night-mode stack.

Tap the sky to focus

Autofocus locks onto foreground snow. Tap the sky to set focus and exposure there before the shot starts.

FAQ

Northern Lights Photography FAQ

What camera settings do I use for the northern lights?: Start in full manual: shutter 5–15 seconds, ISO 1600–3200, aperture as wide as your lens allows (f/1.4–f/2.8), and focus set manually to infinity. Adjust from there based on how bright the display is.
Can you photograph the northern lights with a phone?: Yes — recent iPhone, Samsung and Pixel models capture the aurora in Night or Astro mode. Steady the phone on something solid and expose for 5–10 seconds. Results won’t match a mirrorless camera with a fast lens, but they are usable.
Do I need a tripod to photograph the aurora?: Yes, always. Aurora photos need multi-second exposures, and nothing handheld stays sharp that long. A small travel tripod is enough.
What ISO is best for the northern lights?: ISO 1600 is a good starting point. Raise it toward 3200–6400 when the aurora is faint or moving fast and you need a shorter shutter; lower it toward 800 on a very bright display to cut noise.
What is the best lens for aurora photography?: A wide, fast prime — 14–24mm at f/1.4–f/1.8. Wide framing captures the full band of light and the landscape, and the fast aperture lets in enough light to freeze movement.