KerryF

I will be going to Iceland later this month and I have a couple of questions regarding taking pictures of the Northern Lights.

I have a 7200 and a Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 that I will be bringing for the Northern Lights (along with a Tamron 16-300 F/3.5-6.3 for general photography). My first question is that I recently got a Tamron 10-24 F3.5-4.5 and wanted to know if this lens is good for the Northern Lights for the wider shot or will it make it look to far away? I realize as far as appreature is concerned that the 17-50 is the better lens.

My second question is for those that have done this, what camera settings do you recommend? After googling it these are what I got and I am looking for confirmation or if something needs to be adjusted. Thanks.

Use an aperture of f/2.8 or the widest in your lens
Adjust an ISO from 3200 to 6400
Set a shutter speed between 1-15 seconds
Adjust your white balance to 3500k
Focus manually on a distant light
Set the general camera settings for Northern Lights
Select a shutter delay of 2 seconds

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

You should get a lot of suggestions here.......

I'd use the 2.8 only; See what your field of view looks like between 17 and 50...;
I left my ISO at 400;
I time tested a shot or two;
I think my white balance was AUTO;
Set to infinity and backed off a tick;
Haha - My camera doesn't have a "northern lights" setting...;
I used no shutter delay.
All the above are what I did, not gospel, not perfect, just what I did.

Definitely a tripod or good stable bracing.

The lights are finicky when they occur, expect to be disappointed and if they come out nicely you will be elated.

KerryF

Thanks for the reply. I meant to delete the Northern Lights setting statement...wasn't sure if that setting actually exists or they put it in as a joke! And as far as actually seeing the Northern Lights, it's like going to Africa, there are the animals that you may see and the animals that you actually end up seeing!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I think some iPhones actually DO have it as a setting.

Yea, we were in Iceland for a week, saw them once.
Don't expect to see/get images like you see in magazines!
They are NOT like that all the time.
(I have a cousin who used to live in Alaska.)

KerryF

It turns out that the "Northern Lights setting" is another way to say "long exposure night photography settings" that you would use for fireworks or stars.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Might work, give it a shot, then you'll understand how the setting works.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

Sadly the lights are weather dependent and consider yourself fortunate to see them.

In Iceland the lights will be quite high in the sky. You will be happier with a wider view. You will be even happier if you can find a suitable foreground or setting. Extra points for reflections.

Try to keep shutter speed faster than 3-4 seconds. The lights move around and you don't need a blurry rendition of the bands.

I shoot at around 4500 white balance. But as long as you are in raw (which you should be anyway for a potential once in a lifetime event) then you can adjust later.

Always, always focus manually. Turn autofocus off. period. Focus on a bright star or something several hundred yards away (for wide angle lenses) using live view. Do not trust the infinity mark on the lense, ever.

Use a remote release on a tripod. The 2 sec delay is your fall back position if release jams or fails to work right.

Let iso float a bit to deal with compromises in shutter speed and lens aperture. This will depend greatly on just how bright the lights are. Look at histograms to see if exposure compensation is needed. If you can keep iso below 1600 you are doing ok.

Plan. Know that advice to watch planetary KP settings is hit or miss. It is a lagging indicator. Iceland is far enough north that you should keep an eye more on the weather than anything else. With any clear sky opportunities the chance to catch lights is quite good. Even if faint, the camera will find them. If pronounced, you can't miss them. Have extra batteries and memory cards available. Should you hit the mother lode you want to milk it. Prepare for hours in cold weather.

When composing, try to include some basic black sky with stars just for contrast.

ricardo00

You might want to buy and read Patrick Endres guide, "How to Photograph the Northern Lights". My view (which was based on Patrick's book and was experienced in my shooting) is that you would want at as wide as possible and a minimum f/2.8 lens. So it wouldn't hurt to be wider. I used the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 on my D7200. My pics are on flickr and show my settings:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/albums/72157718786455688


http://www.patrickendres.com/blog/how-to-photograph-the-northern-lights-with-a-digital-camera/

Good luck!

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

A couple of things...

It is almost mandatory to shoot in raw and plan for pist processing, BUT to get usable review images on your rear screen, you need to select a picture control option that uses minimum contrast but maximum sharpness. Otherwise you aren't going to be left with a lot to look at.

Similarly, I would not use a White Balance of 3600 K. Low numbers are going to make your previews too blue and hard to see. I'd favor a more moderate value...closer to 5800 K, which will produce images a lot easier to see on your rear screen.

Do not use Auto ISO. You need complete control over your exposure. Auto ISO takes that away from you.

Finally, I'd use the highest ISO that I was comfortable with and that preserves usable dynamic range with your camera. You'll know better than I what that is, but maybe somewhere in the 2400-3200 range, maybe.

Northern Lights are quite variable. Photographing them requires the willingness to experiment and see what works best at the time.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Not always...
When I was there they were about 20° above the horizon.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

Just when I thought I was ready to shoot them on my trip departing Jan 31st! <grin>

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Step 1: Set to Manual
Set your camera to Manual.
Set your lens to Manual.
Turn off Image Stabilization (typically the button next to ‘manual’ on your lens).
Turn your Flash setting to OFF!
Why must I use the Manual settings?
Automatic settings are great in daylight, when the camera can sense and measure it’s surrounding. But cameras don’t see in the dark, and thus the Automatic setting is useless in Northern Lights conditions. If you leave your lens set to Automatic, it will continuously zoom in and out in a failed attempt to find focus in the dark. And because of the dark it will want to use the flash; to read the area. Your flash, however, is a harsh light pollutant and will wash out the Northern Lights and temporarily blind everyone around you. Make sure your flash is set to OFF.

Step 2: ISO setting
ISO 1600 is a good start
What does the ISO setting do?
This is what controls the light sensitivity of your ‘film’. Some of you may remember a pre-digital era when you had to choose a different ISO film for different occasions. ISO 100 or lower for sunny days and ISO 200-400 for cloudy days. Digitally, now it’s a turn of a button. The ISO button. The higher the ISO, the less light you need to “develop” a picture. But beware; with higher ISO comes lower quality. Most modern cameras do well with ISO 1600 (or even more) without compromising quality. Older cameras may produce grainy photos on ISO above 400/800. It’s helpful to gain a deeper understanding of ISO and Photography Talk have the perfect article for it.

Step 3: Aperture = f-stop
f-2.8
or the lowest f-number you can get
What does the aperture do?
The aperture, or f-stop (f-2.8, f-4, f-5,6 etc) on your camera tells you how widely your lens is open = the size of the opening letting light through the lens. This you can adjust by setting the f-stop. Confusingly, the lower the f-number, the bigger the opening. For Northern Lights photography we want the biggest opening (the lowest f-number) possible on our camera. Because: the more light your lens can take in = the lower shutter speed you can use = the quicker you can capture your shot = the more detail you can get in your Northern Lights image (because the lights are constantly moving).

Step 4: Shutter speed
20 sec. is a good start
What does the shutter speed do?
Shutter speed = exposure time = the time your lens is open and absorbing light. You will need to adjust the shutter speed as the strength of the Northern Lights changes through an evening. For example: Soft lights = 15-30 sec. shutter speed. Strong lights = 1-6 sec. shutter speed.

Step 5: Use a Tripod
Mount your camera on a tripod
Why do I need a tripod?
Holding your breath and keeping very very still is not gonna cut it. You may be taking your photo for 30 seconds, that’s half a minute. Maybe it will even be windy. Bottom line: you will move = your photo will be blurry. So use a tripod. It can be as minimal as you like, it just needs to not be a living, breathing human body… as you will hopefully be in spite of the cold conditions 🙂

Step 6: Zoom & Focus
Zoom out (lowest mm setting on your lens)
Here are some focus-finding options:

Set to the infinity symbol, if you have one: ∞
Pre-set your focus during the day
Zoom in on a star or the Moon, set the focus and zoom back out
“But my camera has auto-focus”
Not in the dark. Get to know your manual focus options. If you have the infinity option (∞), great. But test it, it may not be exact. Ideally, find your focus during daylight hours, and either memorise it or make a mark on your lens rim (use tape, white marker, Tippex etc.). And always zoom out completely, the Northern Lights occupy a large space in the sky, and we want to capture as much of it as we can.

Step 7: Remotely release the shutter
Use a remote control, or
a 2 sec. self-timer, or
an app.
Why can’t I just push the shutter button?
Earlier, we talked about the problems of being a living, breathing human body. Every time you touch your camera you will shake it, causing a possible blur in your photo. This is also applicable when you push the shutter-release button. Remote control is best. 2 sec. self-timer is also good. Some cameras can use apps.

Jodevoy

Be prepared for the cold. I thought I would be when I went to Fairbanks in October since I live in WNY I know snow…WRONG! Once you’re out on location, especially if the lights come out, you don’t want to leave. I remember my fingers being so could I couldn’t feel them by the time we returned to the van. Took over 12 hours to warm up. AND I had super warm North Face winter gloves and two different pair of photo gloves where you flip back the finger tips…what a joke! The crease of the gloves would hit my view screen and change my settings…so frustrating…I’d end up taking them off not to miss the shot. THAT was my first mistake! Get those pocket hand (and toe) warmers and make sure they are not expired. Didn’t know they had expiration dates. Learned that the first night, too! Above all, IF the lights come out…take in the experience. Not everyone gets to see them! Have a great trip!

bikerguy

In my opinion, no one mentioned the most important setting of all. Not taking a picture and enjoying the show. Certainly take pictures but remember to stop and watch. We watched and photographed a northern light show in Norway for 2 hours. I am very happy with the pictures but even happier with the memory of the lights dancing in the sky.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Many get caught up with getting shots that they forget to enjoy the show.