Camera Settings for Northern Lights Photography

You do not need professional gear to photograph the aurora, but you do need to shoot in manual mode — automatic settings will almost always underexpose a night sky. Here are the fundamentals.

Aperture: use the widest your lens allows, ideally f/2.8 or wider, to let in as much light as possible.

ISO: start around 800–1600 and adjust up to 3200 if your camera handles noise well at higher ISOs. Modern mirrorless and DSLR cameras vary a lot here — test a few shots and check the histogram.

Shutter speed: 5–15 seconds is a good starting range. A fast, bright, fast-moving aurora needs a shorter exposure (5–8s) to keep detail and avoid the light bands smearing into a flat glow; a faint, slow aurora can take a longer exposure (10–15s).

Autofocus struggles in the dark, so switch to manual focus. Focus on a distant light (a star, or the horizon) using your camera's zoomed-in live view, then leave the focus ring there for the rest of the night.

A sturdy tripod is essential — handholding is not viable at these shutter speeds. A remote shutter release or a 2-second self-timer avoids the small shake of pressing the shutter button by hand.

Shoot in RAW format rather than JPEG for far more flexibility adjusting exposure and white balance afterward. Cold drains batteries fast — bring at least one spare and keep it in an inner pocket, close to your body, until you need it.

If photography is a priority for your trip, our Private Group tour includes professional photography assistance, so you can focus on the sky while getting shots you will actually want to keep.