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Have you ever wanted to shoot the northern lights? Here’s how to do it

May 16, 2018 by Chad Verzosa 1 Comment

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Auroras look so magical, and it’s no surprise that it’s on a lot of photographers’ bucket list. Not all of us will ever get the chance to photograph these magnificent lights, but if you happen to be lucky enough, will you know how to shoot them? Thankfully, expert aurora photographer Mads Peter Iversen just posted the ultimate video guide on how to predict and photograph this elusive phenomenon.

Before we get into the technical details, we first need to define what auroras are and what causes them. When electrically charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic fields, they manifest as auroras. If they occur in the Southern hemisphere, they’re called Aurora Australis (southern lights), and in the Northern Hemisphere, Aurora Borealis (northern lights).

How to predict when the northern lights will occur

The northern lights are extremely challenging to predict, but as Iversen shows in the video, you can increase your chances of finding them with the help of technology. He uses a variety of websites and applications such as Spaceweatherlive.com to help him. Reading the aurora forecast can be quite technical and scientific, so make sure to pay attention to the details in the video. However, the quickest way to know if northern lights might appear is by looking at the color scheme of the graphs from the website. Green means low activity, yellow means moderate, and red means there’s a high chance you’ll see some lights in the sky. Nevertheless, since these forecasts aren’t 100 %  accurate, you’ll have to rely on luck as well.

Another factor you need to consider is the weather on Earth. Since northern lights occur 80 kilometers above sea level, and clouds form at around 18 kilometers, you’ll have to look at the cloud coverage before going out. According to Iversen, he uses Icelandic and Norwegian weather services for his forecasts. However, since conditions continuously change in the Arctic region, specifically in Iceland, it’s not recommended to rely entirely on the meteorological data. That’s one way of saying, you might end up just having to eyeball it.

How to photograph the northern lights

Now that you know enough to predict the auroras, it’s time to learn about how to shoot them. The first thing that probably pops into your mind is what camera to use. Iversen suggests that you’ll need a camera that has minimal noise levels at ISO 3200. Of course, it also needs to have a Manual Mode since you’ll have to change the settings a lot. For the lens, he recommends an ultra-wide angle lens so you can capture as much of the scene as you can.

Once your camera is on a stable tripod, turn on the live view, zoom into the brightest star you see and focus your camera manually until it’s sharp. Iverson suggests you start with ISO 1600, with an aperture of f/2.8 or lower, and a shutter speed of 10 seconds. However, he’s also quick to mention that there are no standard settings when it comes to shooting auroras. Ultimately, you’ll have to rely on your skills and know your camera well to get the shot you want.

If you want to learn even more about photographing the northern lights, you can purchase Iversen’s new tutorial that shows you how to create composite images of the auroras. Just beware that it’s quite technical and it isn’t for beginners.

[The ULTIMATE AURORA PREDICTION and PHOTOGRAPHY guide, northern lights | Mads Peter Iversen]

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Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: landscape photography tips, Mads Peter Iversen, Northern Lights, tutorial, Video

About Chad Verzosa

Chad Verzosa is a freelance writer and photographer currently based in Florida. When not traveling, he likes to spend his time printing pictures in the darkroom.

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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