How to Photograph Northern Lights: Tips from a Professional Photographer

Last Updated on January 11, 2026

If you’ve already read my guide on How to see the Northern Lights, you’re halfway to your dream aurora experience. Knowing when and where to look is one thing – capturing the northern lights on your camera or smartphone is another kind of magic. In this guide, I share practical tips from more than a decade of aurora hunting and photographing experience across Scandinavia and the Arctic. Whether you’re using a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or smartphone, you’ll learn the best camera settings, lenses, composition ideas, and how to avoid the most common mistakes, so you can come home with photos you’ll be proud of. As a bonus, I will also share with you some secret tips which I learnt through the years and I will inspire you with some northern lights images from last 15 years.

How to witness and photograph the Northern Lights (combine my two guides)

For the best results and the best images of northern lights, use this article together with my full guide on How to see the Northern Lights. I recommend to read that one first because I explain there:

• what northern lights are
• why, how and when aurora borealis shows up in the sky
• how to read aurora forecasts
• what Kp index means
• best aurora forecast apps and websites
• how to avoid clouds
• where to go for the highest chances
• how to see northern lights in the area where you live

Combine those tips with the photography advice here – and you won’t just find and see the northern lights, you’ll also bring home amazing photos and memories for life.

In this article here you will learn the following:

• Best locations to photograph the Northern Lights
• Best time of year and night to photograph the Northern Lights
• How the Moon affects Northern Lights photography (what is the best Moon phase?)
• Do you need a tripod for Northern Lights photography?
• Essential photography gear checklist for Northern Lights photography
• What is the best camera to photograph Northern Lights?
• How to focus your camera at night for sharp Northern Lights photos
• Best camera settings for photographing the Northern Lights
• How to compose beautiful Northern Lights photos
• How to film the Northern Lights
• How to shoot a Northern Lights timelapse
• How to edit Northern Lights photos (basic post-processing tips)
• How to take Northern Lights photos with a smartphone
• Common mistakes when photographing the Northern Lights (and how to avoid them)
• Join a northern lights guided tour organized by me

Best locations to photograph the Northern Lights (avoid light pollution)

To see and capture bright aurora colours, you need dark clear skies. Light pollution from cities washes out the beautiful green, red, blue and purple tones and it makes the sky glow orange. For the best northern lights experience, you should:

• travel outside towns and cities
• avoid streetlights and lit ski slopes
• find a view over the northern horizon
• use a light pollution map to find the darkest areas around you
• check the weather forecast and drive somewhere else or take a northern lights guided tour if overcast is expected in your area

The darker your surroundings, the brighter and more colourful the aurora will look both to your eyes and on camera. I recommend especially lakesides, coastlines, open fields and fjords as these locations have a clear view to the sky. Check out the direction where you will have the view as well. Northern lights show up most often in the north (or south if you are on the southern hemisphere) so you should have the view in that direction.

The best aurora locations around the world combine dark skies, strong activity (the closer to the poles, the better), and amazing landscapes. I explain all these aspects more in depth in my article How to see the Northern Lights but here I share for you a brief summary with tips for accommodation and/or local northern lights tour operators. Top aurora regions around the world include:

• Abisko, Sweden and accommodation at STF Abisko Turiststation which is known as one of the best places to watch northern lights in the world for its northern location and usually great weather. You can also visit Aurora Sky station by a lift and watch northern lights above Swedish Lapland mountains
• Tromsø, Norway is the best place to see northern lights in Norway thanks to its location. If it’s cloudy there, you can join a northern lights tour which always finds a clear sky. They drive to inland Norway/Finland if it’s cloudy in Tromsø. If you look for accommodation in Tromsø, I recommend the new Vervet Apartment Hotel. It is located comfortably in the city centre and it offers views over the sea. We could watch aurora borealis from our window!
• In Iceland, I highly recommend staying at hotel Ranga for Northern Lights watching. It’s within comfortable driving distance from Reykjavik, yet remote enough to be free from light pollution, offering wonderfully dark skies and ideal aurora conditions right outside your accommodation. Bad weather around Reykjavik? Join a northern lights tour with hot cocoa.
• Finnish Lapland is another northern lights paradise. Here, I recommend to book the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, located just north of Rovaniemi quietly surrounded by forest, far away from city lights. Thanks to its large panoramic windows, you can relax indoors in the warmth and still enjoy breathtaking views of the Northern Lights right from your bed. Alternatively, join a guided tour from Rovaniemi which guarantees northern lights sightings.
• Alaska also offers great northern lights watching opportunities. The best location is around Fairbanks. Visit for instance Aurora Villa, one of the top places to stay for Northern Lights photography. Its secluded setting and large windows mean you can admire the aurora dancing across the sky without even stepping outside into the cold.

Remember once you are at the locations, staying away from cities greatly increases your chances. These recommended areas offer frequent aurora displays as well as fjords, mountains, glaciers, forests, and/or Arctic tundra and these create perfect foregrounds for your northern lights images. Read more about the composition tips below.

Best time of year and night to photograph the Northern Lights

Northern lights can only be photographed when the sky is dark enough. Check out locations where you plan to see northern lights for sunset and sunrise times. At this website, you will get interesting data about the length of day, night and different types of twilights. To simplify it for you, you have to focus only on some data from the website. You can witness northern lights during night and astronomical twilight.

Some people think that aurora displays depend on temperature but it isn’t true. Northern lights show up anytime when there is enough sun activity and it can happen at any temperature. Actually, auroras can be witnessed even during peak summer when it’s polar day in the arctic regions. If the sun activity is strong, the lights can be seen as south as in Florida in US or Spain in Europe. Read more about the strength of the northern lights and the Kp index How to see the Northern Lights in my article. To sum it up, sun activity, darkness and clear skies are the key.

As we discussed you have the highest chance to see northern lights in the arctic regions and therefore you have the biggest chance to see aurora there during the high northern lights season which starts in September and ends in March. This is basically half a year when it’s dark enough there to see aurora and you won’t do wrong if you choose any of these months. But do you want a secret tip for the best time of the year for photographing northern lights? After more than 15 years of aurora hunting and photography, I have two personal favourite months – September and February.

In September, days are still warmish even far behind the polar circle which makes it comfortable to stay outside for a longer time. February on the other hand promises beautiful wintery conditions with beautiful landscapes and they create perfect foregrounds for northern lights photography. During February, days are also already long enough so you can plan daily activities and nights are still long enough to witness northern lights. It’s a perfect combination for a winter holiday in the far north. So what will you choose – comfortable temperatures and autumn colours in September or wintery landscapes in February?

How to prepare for Northern Lights photography in cold weather

If you decide to travel for northern lights photography in winter, be ready for cold weather. Temperatures around -20°C aren’t an exception and you’ll likely be standing still for a long time. Remember that comfort means better photos because you will be able to stay longer time outside and you will see different kinds of aurora over the longer time. Here are my tips what to bring:

• warm boots – you lose most heat from the ground
• many layers of clothing so you can adjust to the current temperature
• proper hat, scarf, gloves
• hand warmers
• hot drinks and snacks to keep you warm

Don’t underestimate the clothing. Trust me, the best aurora likes to appear just when you consider giving up and going home. It happened to me many times. Do you want another secret tip? Make a bbq over an open fire with friends when you watch northern lights. It will keep you warm and it’s fun to grill during cold winter while watching northern lights. It was my favourite acitivty with friends when I was a student in the north of Sweden at Umeå University.

How does the Moon affect Northern Lights photography (what is the best Moon phase?)

The phase of the moon has a big impact on your photos. To have higher chances of seeing bright auroras, aim for the new moon or watch and photograph northern lights when the moon is below the horizon. Check out moonset and moonrise for your destination before you book your trip.

However, you don’t need to avoid the moon completely. A half-moon or full moon can beautifully illuminate snowy mountains, light up foreground landscapes and reduce noise in shadows. I actually took some of my favourite northern lights pictures when there was a full moon. It’s important to note though that these were taken when there was an exceptionally strong aurora.

Remember the most important thing when it comes to the moon: the brighter the moon, the weaker visible aurora. If the northern lights aren’t strong enough, you might not see anything due to the strong moon.

Do you need a tripod for Northern Lights photography?

Be aware that the newest cameras and smartphones promise perfect stabilization but the pictures will never be 100% sharp. To ensure perfect sharpness of your northern lights images, you will always need a tripod. A tripod is essential because northern lights photography requires long exposures. Even the steadiest hands can’t hold a camera still for 1 second which is the recommended minimum for a great picture (more about the camera settings soon). The necessity of a tripod applies for all cameras including smartphones. With a tripod, you can:

• use slow shutter speeds (less noise)
• keep ISO lower (less noise)
• avoid motion blur
• create timelapses

To make most of your tripod setting, turn off the image stabilization, and use a 2-second timer or remote trigger to prevent movement when you touch the shutter button.

Essential photography gear checklist for Northern Lights photography

Besides the tripod, which I mentioned is essential for northern lights photography, there are other important things to think of. Night photography uses lots of energy and storage. Make sure to pack:

• spare batteries (keep them warm in pockets) and/or powerbanks for your smartphone
• large memory cards and/or make space in your smartphone
• lens hoods and cloth (for frost or snow)
• headlamp with red light mode (white makes too much light pollution)

Cold temperatures drain batteries much faster, so rotate them frequently.

What is the best camera to photograph Northern Lights?

The simple answer is that the “best camera” for northern lights photography is of course one of the newest and most expensive cameras such as Sony α7 V. But do you really need it? I have good news for you. My camera is six years old and it makes fantastic pictures. In fact, all mirrorless and DSLR cameras made in the last 10 years won’t disappoint you. Selecting the right camera depends on your budget and goals. Before buying a new camera ask yourself: do you want the images just for social media or do you want to print them as well? Would you also like to make northern lights movies? What other plans do you have with the new camera?

For perfect northern lights images, the clear winner is a full frame camera with a large sensor, great high-ISO performance, and manual controls. Check these characteristics when choosing your northern lights camera. I myself use the newest DSLR Nikon camera D780. Even though this camera came out on the market already in 2020, it still offers excellent lowlight performance and manages to capture even videos of northern lights. Nowadays, you can get even better cameras. Below, I list the best cameras which you should consider if you want to make wonderful northern lights images:

• Sony α7 V – incredible high-ISO quality and sharp results
• Nikon Z8 – large sensor, images with 46MP and great dynamic range
• Canon EOS R6 Mark III – excellent noise handling and great ISO range
• Nikon Z50 II – budget friendly option for photography beginners with still excellent ISO performance

Best lenses for Northern Lights photography and how to protect them in cold weather

If you want to take great northern lights pictures, it’s surprisingly more important to choose a proper lens than the camera. If you buy an expensive camera with a basic lens, you will be disappointed. The best lenses for auroras are prime lenses with wide-angle and fast aperture. If you have a limited budget, rather go for a cheaper camera and a great prime wide angle lens (between 14 and 24mm focal length) with low aperture (f/1.4-2.8).

Here come again my secret tips: over the years I tested many different focal lengths and these are the best lenses for northern lights photography – 14mm f/1.8, 20mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/1,4. See below what lenses exactly I have and for what conditions I use them (if you don’t use Nikon, don’t worry. You can find similar lenses from basically any brand):

• Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art Lens for Nikon: If you have to choose only one lens, go for this one. It’s the best wide-angle lens allowing you to take pictures of large auroras in the arctic. Its aperture of 1.8 allows you to take pictures in the darkest conditions and the pictures are very sharp. The only disadvantage is that this lens is a bit heavier.
• Nikon NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S: This is my most used lens for landscape photography including northern lights. I carry it everywhere because it’s very light and pictures taken by this lens are amazingly sharp.
• 35mm f/1,4 DG HSM Art till Sigma: If you photograph northern lights in a lower latitude (for example as I do in Stockholm area), you will be able to see the auroras most often only above the horizon. It means that you need a less wide lens taking picture of smaller part of the sky. This is my favourite lens for these conditions because it has an amazing aperture of f1.4 allowing you to make beautiful photos with short shutter speed.

When you have your camera equipment ready, be aware of a frequent issue when chasing northern lights. Moving between warm and cold environments, like stepping out of a warm car into the freezing night will likely cause condensation due to temperature change, and your lens can fog up. To prevent it, put your camera in a waterproof bag before bringing it into warmth, and keep it in your (cold) camera bag when driving between locations. This helps the gear adjust slowly and avoids foggy lenses.

How to focus your camera at night for sharp Northern Lights photos

Compared to daylight or sunset/sunrise landscape photography, it’s much harder to have your northern lights image in focus. Autofocus often fails in the dark, so manual focus is your friend when it comes to northern lights. Here’s how to focus on stars:

1. Switch your camera to manual focus
2. Turn on live view
3. Zoom in as much as your camera allows you on the brightest star or distant light in your frame
4. Rotate the focus ring until the star is smallest and sharpest

Be careful: the infinity symbol on your lens doesn’t mean that the image will be perfectly focused on stars. Don’t focus on infinity. Always check sharpness by zooming in on your photo afterwards. When you make your first image, check it again if it’s sharp. Secret tip: Double check your sharpness multiple times during your northern lights photo shoot. It happened to me many times that I handled my lens badly when changing locations and many of my images were out of focus.

If you want both a sharp foreground and sharp stars, shoot:

• one photo focused on the stars
• one photo focused on the foreground

…and blend them during editing. This is an advanced technique which we can discuss in detail another time.

Best camera settings for photographing the Northern Lights

There is no single “perfect” setting because aurora varies in brightness and speed, but this is a great starting point for beginners:

• Shoot in RAW (if you photo shoot in JPEG, you won’t be able to edit the pictures much)
• Mode: Manual (M)
• Aperture: f/1.4 – f/2.8
• Shutter speed: 1–15 seconds
• ISO: 1000–6400
• White balance: Auto- it can be edited in postprocess if you shoot in RAW

I always start with aperture ISO 3200, f/2.8 (images are sharper than at the lowest aperture), 5s and then I adjust the settings according to current conditions:

• fast, bright aurora → shorter shutter speed
• weak aurora → longer exposure + higher ISO

Take a test shot, zoom in, adjust focus, then change ISO or shutter speed depending on aurora brightness. Always review the histogram and avoid blowing out highlights. Never shoot with more than 15s as stars become lines instead of dots due to the rotation of the Earth. Remember that it pays off to experiment with the settings as you go. Conditions are changing through the night and you should adjust the settings accordingly.

How to compose beautiful Northern Lights photos

If you want to create an appealing northern light picture, remember that it isn’t only about the northern lights. Great composition turns a good aurora into a great photo. The key is try to find some nice foreground. Try including some of these in the foreground of your image:

• mountains, trees, cabins, tents
• people looking at the sky
• frozen lakes or reflections
• leading lines such as roads or rivers

It might be hard to find a perfect composition when it’s dark. That’s why I recommend to scout for locations during daylight. During your scouting, don’t forget to look where the north is. It’s likely that northern lights will show up just there.

How to film the Northern Lights (video settings)

Some years ago, northern lights filming was almost impossible due to expensive filming equipment but times are changing fast. Nowadays, recent cameras can besides photograph also film aurora surprisingly well. Before you start filming, remember that the same rules like in aurora photography apply: use a tripod, manual focus and avoid digital stabilization. Regarding video settings, these are the minimum requirements your camera must handle to capture northern lights in live motion:

• 24–30 fps and the same shutter speed 1/24 – 1/30s
• aperture wide open, ideally f.1.8 or f1.4
• ISO 25600 or higher

My camera Nikon D780 together with Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art manages northern light videos well with ISO 51200, shutter speed 1/30 and aperture F1.8. Look at the example below:

How to shoot a Northern Lights timelapse

Timelapses can be made even with older cameras because you need to make a sequence of images which will be put together in a post process later. In the end, your timelapse will show how the aurora danced over the night and I warn you it’s addictive. When I travel to the north to capture northern lights, I often let my camera work for hours to capture the beauty of the night. Keep in mind that you need 24-30 pictures for a second of your final movie. That’s why I recommend to shoot 300–600 frames for a smooth 10-20s sequence. Then combine the images in an editing software. I use for example Adobe Lightroom.

There are a few more things you have to think about when making a northern lights timelapse:

• You have to use manual exposure – if you don’t, the camera can change the aperture or shutter speed and your movie will be blinking
• Start the movie a bit underexposed. If the aurora becomes stronger later in your movie, it won’t be overexposed
• Shoot RAW photos so you can adjust the final movie as you wish
• Keep a few seconds break in between images so your camera has time to process them (for example – use 10s exposure and take an image every 15s)
• Use lens hoods to protect the lens from frost

Below, you can see many examples of my northern lights timelapses which I created as a Merry Christmas wish from timelapses of northern lights at Lofoten islands.

Secret tip: Are you somewhere in the nature where you are not scared that your camera will be stolen? Let your camera work for the whole night and get surprised in the morning how your timelapse shows up.

How to edit Northern Lights photos (basic post-processing tips)

Prerequisite one: Remember to photograph in RAW so you can adjust the white balance and other important details during post-processing. Photo shooting in JPEG would never enable you to edit the pictures as you wish. I myself always try to edit the pictures as I saw the scenery live and I can make it true only if I photograph in RAW. Editing can take your aurora photos from “nice” to “wow” while still keeping them natural. A full editing guide could fill another article but I will share with you some basic tips which can help you a lot at the start of your northern lights photography.

Prerequisite two: Get a reliable editing software. I edit all my photography including northern lights pictures in Adobe Lightroom and you can see the basic details of my editing below. But use any program you have. The basic editing looks similar in any other editing program.

These are my post-processing steps:

• Start by applying lens corrections and straightening the horizon to fix distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration (these adjustements are called lens corrections and are done in a few seconds automatically as Lightroom recognizes most of the lenses on the market).
• Adjust the white balance so the aurora colours look natural, not overly cold or neon.
• Increase texture and clarity gently to bring out structure in the lights, but avoid pushing them too far as this can make images look artificial.
• Fine-tune exposure, highlights and shadows to keep the detail in both the aurora and the foreground (see all of these settings below but keep in mind that each scenery might require little bit different settings).
• Reduce noise carefully, especially from high ISO, while preserving sharpness (around 60), and use masking (around 70) so sharpening isn’t applied to noisy dark areas.
• Finally, refine colours with vibrance or HSL adjustments, keeping saturation realistic, add any local adjustments if needed, and give the image a last check for white balance before exporting.

How to take Northern Lights photos with a smartphone

You might be surprised but rules for taking pictures with smartphones are similar to the ones with a real camera so if you’ve read my article until this point, you already know the most important things. If you plan to take pictures of the northern lights by smartphone, I have good news for you. The newest smartphones can do a surprisingly great job with northern lights photography but it isn’t so easy to take great pictures. Keep in mind the following rules:

• Stabilize the phone with a tripod. Otherwise your picture will be blurry. If you don’t have a tripod use a rock or something else to make your phone stand on its own.
• Turn off your flash. It won’t make your picture better. Instead, it will ruin it.
• Does your phone offer a night mode or pro mode? Use that and set your shutter speed as long as possible, ideally for 15s.
• If your phone doesn’t offer a pro mode or night mode, use one of the following apps which will help you to adjust the camera settings: ProCam, ProCamera, Slow Shutter or Manual.
• Use self-timer (2s) to avoid movement when you touch the shutter.
• Start with ISO 3200 and adjust it according to the aurora activity.
• Shoot in RAW if available.
• Don’t forget a power bank. It gets cold very quickly when you are outside not only for you but also for your phone and it will lose battery quickly. Don’t miss the best northern lights shot because your battery is empty.
• Pro tip: Get your settings ready ahead. It’s easier to get everything prepared when you are warm inside than cold and stressed that you are missing a shot at your location.

Common mistakes when photographing the Northern Lights (and how to avoid them)

If you managed to read my whole article thoroughly until this point, you are ready to photograph northern lights. I know it’s a lot to think about so I summarized for you also typical beginner mistakes. Try to avoid them and it will be great! Good luck on your photo shoot 😉

• Mistake 1: Blurry stars from bad focus – Fix: Focus manually on the brightest star and check focus after every few shots
• Mistake 2: Camera shakes because of touching tripod or camera – Fix: use a timer or remote control and check the focus after changing your location
• Mistake 3: Overexposed aurora with no structure – Fix: use shorter exposures for fast-moving aurora
• Mistake 4: Leaving stabilization on while on a tripod can make your pictures blurry – Fix: Turn it off

And the biggest mistake of all: giving up too early. It can take a really long time until you make the northern lights picture of your dreams. Be patient and try again and again. The strongest aurora of the day often shows up just when you are about to leave.

And one last thing: when the aurora appears, don’t spend the whole time behind the camera. Put it down for a moment and just enjoy it. For many people, the northern lights are a once-in-a-lifetime sight – make sure you actually experience it, not only photograph it.

Join northern lights guided tour organized by me

If you read the whole article, it means you are really interested to make northern lights pictures of your life. Do you want to guarantee wonderful images and unforgettable experience? Come and hunt northern lights with me in the north of Sweden in beautiful landscapes. I will be organizing expeditions where I will be teaching how to take the most wonderful aurora borealis pictures. All of the following will be included:

• multiple-night tour to increase chances of seeing strong aurora
• flexible itinerary (ability to drive to clear skies)
• real-time aurora monitoring & weather analysis
• transportation in warm, comfortable minibus
• small group size for individual attention
• help with camera setup and settings
• composition coaching
• post-processing workshop
• accommodation with great access to northern lights viewing locations
• professional photos of each guest under aurora
• winter day acitivities including visit of the Ice Hotel and option of testing winter sports

I will be announcing dates for the northern lights season 2026/2027 during summer 2026. Send me an email to info@jardazaoral.com to get notified first.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and services of companies I use and the income goes to keeping the website running.