How to Photograph the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

The Northern Lights are one of the most beautiful sights in nature. It’s also one of the hardest to photograph. The aurora borealis is a very faint light show that can only be seen when there is little light pollution and when you’re far away from city lights.

The best time to photograph the Northern Lights

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is a natural phenomenon that can be seen in parts of the world. It’s caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with the atmosphere and releasing energy.

The best time to see them is between late September and April. The aurora borealis is visible in northern latitudes, but it can also be seen as far south as northern California and Oregon.

How to photograph the Aurora Borealis

Northern lights are caused by solar flares which occur when the sun has been bombarded with charged particles and, as these particles stream through the atmosphere, they collide with atoms. When the collisions occur, energy is released and the charged particles ionize the atoms, creating the faint greenish glow you see.

You can experience the Northern Lights in many ways, but the easiest is to get a telescope. The best one to buy, however, is an optical prism telescope. These telescopes use prisms to focus the light from the earth on to the eyepiece where it is magnified. They are easy to use, versatile and come in all shapes and sizes.

The best time to go outside and try to photograph the Northern Lights is during a total solar eclipse. The only drawback to this is that you will need to travel to the other side of the world. The best place to visit for a total solar eclipse is in the USA, specifically the states of Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. In these states, the skies above are totally dark when the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking it completely. For a limited period of time, the Northern Lights can be seen glowing in the sky.

Try using different exposure settings.

If you are not used to taking pictures in low light, it can be tricky to get the perfect image. There are two things you can try to improve your chances of success. First, try setting your camera to one of its lowest ISO values, usually 100. This will lower the sensitivity of the camera, which will result in a darker image. Second, try increasing the amount of light in your room by using a strong light source. A torch can help.

Use the right lens.

Make sure you choose the correct lens. Most cameras use a 50mm lens as this is the widest lens that will fit. If you have a zoom lens, check what the longest focal length you can use is. You may need to use a longer lens such as a 100mm or a 200mm. These are generally sharper than a 50mm lens and will show more details in the photo.

Keep it steady.

If you are using a tripod, make sure that it is set up properly and the camera is level. Also, make sure you are not looking at the sun through the lens. Keep a watchful eye on the horizon, as it will appear to move as the light is coming and going. If you are shooting with a zoom lens, the higher the number, the wider the aperture is. You will need to work out what your maximum aperture is and try to keep it below that. If you find it difficult to get your camera steady, you can use a hand-held method. Hold your camera in your hand and walk around as if you are taking a normal picture.

Find a dark place away from city lights.

You’ll want to get away from bright sources of light to avoid overexposing your photos. You’ll also want to find a place that’s quiet and free of people so there isn’t much light pollution from outside sources.

Use a wide-angle lens with a low f-stop number.

This will help you capture more of the sky in your photo and make it easier for you to focus on objects in motion like stars or clouds moving across the sky.

Set up your camera on a tripod so that it doesn’t move while shooting photos at night or during long exposures (which will cause blurry images).

Photographing the northern lights is a challenge because they are so faint, and you need to have a very long exposure time. You can use any kind of camera but it must be capable of long exposures. A digital SLR with a wide-angle lens will work best.

The most important thing to remember when photographing the aurora is that you need to expose for at least 30 seconds in order to capture something. This means that you will need to use either very high ISO or a low f-stop number in order to get the exposure time up. The higher the ISO, the more noise your images will have.

You should also make sure that you use some sort of tripod so that there is no movement during your exposure time. You can also use an intervalometer if possible so that you don’t have to leave the shutter open for more than 30 seconds at a time (which could mean missing some amazing shots).

The Best Locations to Photograph the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is one of the most spectacular phenomena on Earth. It’s a natural light display that occurs when solar particles collide with the Earth’s magnetic field. This causes electrons to accelerate and emit light as they fall back to their normal state.

The lights are visible in some parts of the world more than others. They can be seen near the poles and in particular during periods of high solar activity. The best time to see them is between September and March — though you can catch a glimpse at other times too.

The best locations for photographing the northern lights are those with low levels of light pollution, such as Iceland, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada.