Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

Should say (as others have) how important a wide angle lens is. Several in our photo club have the Rokinon 14mm lens. Super sharp but often has some distortion. That is easily fixed in PP. Very reasonable price. Also, find a nice wide open place to shoot from..don't get too crowded in with trees.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Can...but not always...40sec example below. But it did help that I was using an 8mm fisheye. I will usually start with a 30 sec exposure, just to see what's going on in the sky...it also helps me determine if everything is in focus. From there I dial back the ISO and exposure time.

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

Love the fisheye look! Beautiful photo!

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Thanks.

Not sure if they make a Rokinon manual focus lens for your camera, but this was a great little fisheye that was perfect for northern lights. Mine was dirt cheap at $175 used.

Redmond Loc: Oregon

fisheye look, really nice

dadamia Loc: Portland, OR

I got good results in Iceland with a tripod and ~15 second exposure time. But, you don't really need the tripod. The northern lights are fuzzy to begin with, so a little camera shake doesn't hurt. Some people were getting decent results with their phone cameras! If want to put your friends in the foreground, use a flash. Your friends can walk away after the flash goes off.

StaneeRae Loc: Lincroft, NJ USA

There are web sites that give the Aurora forecast.
https://cdn.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Thanks Marsha for an excellent tutorial. I hope to be somewhere where I can see them someday. NC, my current home, doesn't come to mind.

craig.j.tucker

I used to live in Anchorage, which is a lot like Oslo, and I found the Northern Lights
running most often between 3 - 4 am

What I'm saying is -- for best results -- set your alarm

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

Thanks Bob....I hope you do get to see them someday. They can (at times) be a wonder to see. Most of the time the camera picks up more than the eye can see but there are times when the color is so strong that our eyes can pick that up. Then you just keep snapping the camera....stand there and be marveled at the site!

hillary

Thank you for all your suggestions. That is a great shot.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Consider renting an appropriate wide angle, fast lens for the trip if you wouldn't have much use for it later.

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

If you are going early Oct. you don’t have much time left before you leave. There’s a lot of info available by doing a web browser search for photographing the northern lights, including videos. Some key things to consider are:
• Use a tripod as others have mentioned. I don’t recommend hand held. Even if the aurora is fuzzy in the image, you’ll want to compose with landscape elements if possible for a more interesting image and you don’t want stationary objects to look fuzzy and motion-streaked unless you like that look.
• Use a remote shutter release. I have an IR remote shutter release that works well for me.
• A good wide angle lens as others have mentioned will provide best results. I love my Tokina SD 11-16 F2.8 lens for nighttime photography. As others have said, rent, borrow, or buy a good lens. If you think you might do more nighttime photography in the future, you might want to invest in a good lens now. Don’t use a filter of any kind. Set the lens to manual focus and focus at infinity. If the lens has stabilization, turn it off. Double check the focus with a test image.
• If it is cold outside, it is recommended to keep your camera in an airtight bag when transitioning between outside and inside. Oct. might not be too severe for cold temperatures so it might not be an issue, but if it is cold, let the camera temperature stabilize in the bag before taking it out. When I was shooting in Fairbanks in March it was big issue for me since the temperatures were usually -15F to -20F at night.
• Have extra batteries as cold weather can really zap the energy from them.
• To view the aurora you need to have an active aurora, clear skies, and luck. A location without light pollution is best. A phone app that I use for predicting the aurora is “My Aurora Forecast,”: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jrustonapps.myauroraforecast&hl=en_US . With the app you can follow the real-time progression of the aurora, see cloud cover in your area, and it will even ding you with an alert when there is probability of seeing the aurora in your location in the next 30 min or so. I’m going to Iceland Oct. 2—14, so am hopeful to see and photograph the aurora again. FYI, the current long-term forecast is for KP5-6 on Oct. 7-8! So I’m keeping my fingers crossed for clear skies. It’s hard to know ahead of time when the best auroras will happen. My first night photographing we had great auroras about 10 pm. On another night, it was so good I was out from midnight until 4 am when my last camera battery gave out. You just got to keep monitoring the real-time progression of the aurora to see how it is developing. The app helps a lot. Also, check to see if there are any real-time aurora cams in your area as that can give you some insight if the aurora is becoming active.
• Use manual camera settings to photograph the aurora. The strength of the aurora is a big factor when photographing the aurora. Weak auroras, maybe KP2-3 or less, are hard to see with the naked eye, but a long exposure, 15-30 seconds can make them very visible in a photograph. A strong aurora, KP6 or more, are easy to see with the naked eye. KP7-8 is like seeing fireworks in the sky with the aroura dancing at unbelievable speed in the sky. My first time photographing the aurora I experimented a lot. I was lucky to have a strong aurora to work with. I started with ISO 2000 and could get a good exposure with 5 sec. and F2.8 on my Tokina lens. To my surprise, the aurora got stronger and faster and I realized that my highlights were being blown out and had to cut the exposure to 2.5 sec for a good exposure. You want to be sure to watch and enjoy the live show, but the tricky part is to not forget about taking photos too. Keep monitoring your highlights if the aurora is changing a lot, especially if getting stronger and faster, and adjust your exposure accordingly to get rid of the highlight “blinkies” in your highlight playback screen. For really strong and fast auroras my exposure was 1 sec at ISO 2000, F2.8. If interested, you can see some of my results at https://mrgarci.shutterfly.com/12977 .
I hope that helps.

hillary

Thanks for all the advice, it's good that I see the same basics repeated; have several good tripods. My wide angle only goes to 17mm and is a f3.5. I know that is not great by any means. Not sure if I can find/afford a 11mm 2.8. We will be on a boat sailing the whole western coast of Norway. So hopefully I will have many opportunities to at least capture a few good pics. I will download the app. you suggest. And I'll be sure to remove the UV filters I have on lens that'll be used. Your shots are excellent, love the angle with the pipeline.

I can't thank one and all for the help and will continue doing my homework between now and our departure.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

I agree with all the above and re-stress the wide angle and big aperture theme.
Also, get out and practice setting up your tripod, focusing, and setting your camera in the dark until it is second nature. In the dark is a new beast.
The only way I’ve had luck on infinity focus in the dark is live view 10x and pick a star and make it a pinpoint.

One minor tidbit, if your lens has an “infinity stop” make sure it will go to infinity. My Minolta 50mm f 1.4 did not and I found out at 2:00 AM trying to shoot a moonlit Yosemite falls
Good luck, Have fun, Nd Please Post Pictures!!!