How to photograph "Northern Lights"

The spectacle known as the northern lights is something I promise you will never forget, and if you are prepared to photograph them, you will be able come home and share your photos you are proud of with friends and family.

The Aurora Borealis occurs in the Northern hemisphere.  It can be experienced in locations further from the Arctic circles, but to improve your chances of seeing them you need to spend some time on or near the activity zones. Iceland, Norway, Yukon and Alaska are just some of the places famous for the Aurora Borealis in the Northern hemisphere.

How to Photograph the northern lights

BASIC EQUIPMENT:

A good sturdy tripod.

A remote trigger so you don't have to touch the camera.

The camera should be a 35mm SLR camera with manual focus (set to just shy of "infinity"), which works well for Northern Lights photography.

You should also consider a camera that has BULB mode so you can manually control exposure times.

Digital cameras will need to have to be manually adjustable focus with ISO ranges up to 1600

RECOMMENDED PHOTO GEAR:

Beyond the basic photography equipment, you should bring the following gear for great results:

A wide-angle zoom lens, f2.8 (or lower numbers), will give great results photographing the Northern Lights.

If you have a prime lens (with fixed focal length) for your camera, bring it.

TAKING A PICTURE:

You generally will not be able to take good pictures of the Northern Lights with short exposure times. Good exposure times for this are 20-40 seconds per picture (the tripod will help you eliminate shaking of the camera - you can't hold the camera by hand.)

A sample exposure time for ISO 800 with an aperture of f/2.8 would be 20 to 30 seconds depending on the brightness of the lights.

LOCATIONS & TIMES:

It can be hard to predict the Northern Lights so you may be in for a few hours of waiting during a cold night.

The best times generally are after midnight and range from October to the end of April each year.

You should head out of the city and get away from light pollution to obtain maximum quality of photos.

Tips:

1.Batteries don't last as long in cold nights. Bring spare batteries.

2.Try lots of different exposure settings; night photography is challenging. Test your setup first.

3.Include a part of the landscape to make the photos more attractive and as a visual reference for size.

4.Do not use any filters, as they tend to distort the beauty of the Northern Lights and degrade the image.

5.Turn on "noise reduction" and the white balance can be set to 5000K or set to auto on digital cameras.

Techniques

To increase your chance of a successful aurora hunt, you need to be aware of the weather.  If it is cloudy, your chances of seeing the aurora grow weaker.  If you have a clear sky you have a much better chance.

You also need to check the space weather for the northern lights forecast. Please not, even if the space weather forecast is weak, it may still be worth venturing out if you are up north in the areas that I previously mentioned… Iceland, Norway, Alaska and the Yukon.

So you are in an active zone and you have a clear sky and the space weather is a bit uncertain. You can increase your chances again by eliminating light pollution.

The moon can also work against you.  If you are planning a trip to an Aurora zone, try to book it as I do when there is a new moon.

Get your camera set up so that it is easy to handle. Using a flash light make sure your cable is connected, your lens is set just short of infinity and the camera is level to the ground. Then turn off the flash light and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.

You can use the waiting time constructively.  You can practice with your bulb and find a good composition.  Set your camera to f/2.8 (or as wide as possible) iso 800 and take some test shots for 30 seconds.  Do this in all directions but mainly due north (Aurora Borealis).  You may start to see a green hue on your pictures near the horizon. This is a good sign and this is the part of the sky you need to watch.

As the aurora starts to get brighter you need to start adjusting your settings accordingly.  Start by bringing down your iso.

Important note… Always check the brightness of your image on the histogram and never rely on the camera preview screen.  Your eyes have adjusted to the dark so an underexposed image will look fine – until you get it home! Speaking from experience… the back lit LCD screen in the dark makes photos look brighter than they actually are.

If the whole sky explodes and the Aurora casts a shadow, you need to be quick to adjust your exposure times.  The best Aurora shots occur during these brief moments.  A faster shutter of 8-20 seconds will preserve some of the details of the display.

Star trails

The added bonus… Sometimes you cannot avoid star trails if you don't trust iso 800 and you lens stops at f/4, you might be exposing for 2 minutes with a weak aurora.  Generally it is preferred to expose for less than 30 seconds to prevent noticeable star trails.  Stars begin to move over 20 seconds… so if you want fixed stars you will have to increase ISO to keep exposure times under 20 seconds… but, sometimes star movement adds an element to the images you take.

Please join me as I travel to northern Canada to photograph the Northern Lights. The following trips still have some availability.

August 2016 - http://northof49photography.com/fall-colours-in-the-yukon

September 2016 - http://northof49photography.com/yukon-fall-workshop-with

September 2016 - http://northof49photography.com/northern-lights-and-fall-colors-workshop-in-nwt

March 2017 - http://northof49photography.com/2017-great-canadian-aurora-hunt

September 2017 - http://northof49photography.com/2017-fall-colours-in-the-yukon

Semi Private Northern Lights Workshops

If you are a group of 3 or 4 photographers and have always wanted to photograph the Northern Lights in one of the best places to photograph them in Canada, we are now opening up the months of October and March each year, specifically for these semi private tours with you and your friends or family.

Below You will see the itinerary that we have as a template. Some customization specifically for your group can be added to suit your groups specific needs.

Day One 
Arrive at Whitehorse airport and get picked up and taken to our accommodation. A relaxing group dinner and a chance to photograph the area and await the night skies for the first possible aurora photography.

Day Two
We head to the Whitehorse Wild Animal Preserve to view all the species that wander Yukon in the wild. This is a chance to photograph species such as moose, caribou, Yak, woodland Bison, mule deer, arctic fox, Canada Lynx, Thinhorn Sheep and mountain goats in a natural setting.

In the afternoon we will head over to the Tahini Hot Springs for a few hours to relax in the natural hot springs.

After dinner we will head out to photograph one of the local lakes surrounded by the fall colors in the higher elevations.

After dinner we head to our very own aurora viewing area away from the crowds and light pollution at sky high ranch. A heated ger tent in high lands with our own fire pit to keep warm. The area here is very photogenic with mountain peaks on all sides with plenty to photograph before the lights potentially show themselves after dark.

Day Three - October 2, 2016
After a later breakfast we will depart for Kluane National Park for landscape photographic opportunities of the Yukon Mountains and lakes. On the way we stop regularly to allow you the opportunity to take photos of the beautiful landscape. Once we reach Kluane we can go for a short hike around Kathleen Lake. One of the most attractive lakes in southern Yukon.

The 22 000 square kilometer Kluane National Park is set like a jewel in the southwestern corner of the Yukon between northeastern British Columbia and the tidewaters of the Alaskan panhandle. Much of the park's 129 kilometer northern boundary is made up of the Alaska Highway and the Haines Road. The Alsek River, known for its big water rapids created by the tremendous volume of water it drains from the St. Elias Mountains, is so swift it appears that native people have entirely avoided using it for travel or trade routes.

Upon our return we will group together for a few hours going through your images to make sure you get some classroom time editing. After an early dinner I will take you to our night of aurora viewing on the shores of Fish Lake. As the sun goes down and the skies start to glow orange we will photograph the shores framed by mountains until we hopefully see that to the north an eerie, sulfurous-green sheen begins to ripple into the night sky.

Our hope is that it arcs itself into an ebb and flow, slowly growing, then suddenly bursts across the full expanse of the night sky waving and dancing as if it were happy.  It’s the spectacular and mystical Northern Lights and viewings such as the one above are common in the Yukon.

Our viewing for aurora will be the ger tent in high lands with our own fire pit to keep warm. The area here is very photogenic with mountain peaks on all sides with plenty to photograph before the lights potentially show themselves after dark.

Day Four
Today is our day to drive south and take in another topographical wonder that was created millions of years ago. Today we head to Carcross Desert. The smallest desert in the world. This desert is surrounded by mountains and cliffs that are adorned with fall colors at this time of year. As an added bonus, early in the mornings your photos often consist of sand foregrounds, fall colors in the trees and the snow and frost line above.

We will also photograph the stunning Emerald Lake area along the southern highways and the Atlin Mountains.

After we return to Whitehorse we will have dinner and head out once again to watch the skies for the aurora dance on top of the mountain ranges around Whitehorse.

Our viewing for aurora will be the heated ger tent in high lands with our own fire pit to keep warm. The area here is very photogenic with mountain peaks on all sides with plenty to photograph before the lights potentially show themselves after dark.

Day Five
Today is our day to photograph the very photogenic Miles Canyon.

Originally referred to as Grand Canyon, Fredrick Schwatka renamed it in July of 1883 Miles Canyon after General Nelson Miles. Schwatka wrote, “Through this narrow chute of corrugated rock the wild waters of the great river rush in a perfect mass of milk-like foam, with a reverberation that is audible for a considerable distance.” Although accounts differ as to the ferocity of the rapids, there is no question that they were very dangerous. During the Gold Rush, hundreds of boats loaded with precious supplies were lost (as well as several lives) before the Northwest Mounted Police arrived to regulate traffic.

Eventually a wooden rail system around the canyon eliminated the need to battle this hazard. The hydroelectric dam constructed to provide power to Whitehorse has tamed Miles Canyon, but drifting through its 50-foot high basaltic walls is still a thrill.

The afternoon is a free afternoon to wander the museums and shops in downtown Whitehorse. Then we prepare for our last night of skies with another possible aurora dancing above our heads.

Day Six
Departure day. You will be taken to the airport for your flight home.
Flights south are generally 5:50am, 8:00am ad 4:00pm

Price: $3500 Canadian per person

Deposit: $750 Canadian

Included: Dinner on day one, snacks, juice and water available in vehicle, transportation, entrance fees to all parks and attractions, accommodation at Best Western Gold Rush Inn, guidance, night photography locations and amenities and private land access for aurora viewing, welcome gift.

Not Included: Alcohol, meals not included in the tour, travelers insurance, items of personal nature.

Contact me through our Contact Us Page and let us know the week you want to attend and to receive booking information. Or email Kevin at kevinapepper@outlook.com