Why the camera sees more than your eye
In the dark your eyes switch from colour-sensing cone cells to rod cells, which do not see colour. A faint aurora can therefore look like a pale grey cloud or a dim band. A camera sensor collects light for seconds and keeps recording colour, so the photo shows much more green and red than you saw.
That is not a trick; the light is really there. But set your expectations: outside strong storms, and especially at mid-latitudes, your eyes will not see what the photo shows. NOAA SWPC staff suggest pointing a phone north on clear nights even if you see nothing; you may still capture it.
With a phone
Most recent phones photograph the aurora surprisingly well.
- Turn off the flash. It cannot reach the aurora and only lights up the snow in front of you.
- Use night mode (Night mode on iPhone, Night / Night Sight or similar on Android). Phones usually offer it automatically in the dark.
- Keep the phone still. A small tripod is best; otherwise rest it on a rock, a car roof or a backpack. When the phone detects it is steady it allows longer exposures.
- Aim for 3–10 second exposures. Short exposures keep detail in fast-moving curtains; longer ones gather more light from faint, slow aurora.
- With a Pro/manual mode: ISO 800–3200, 3–10 s, focus at infinity (∞ or the mountain icon). Fixing white balance around 3500–4000 K gives more natural colours.
- Use the self-timer (3 s) to avoid shaking the phone when you tap.
- Dim your screen to keep your night vision.
- Face north (south in the southern hemisphere). Include the horizon, a tree or a house for scale.
With a camera
- Lens: wide and fast: 14–24 mm at f/1.4–f/2.8 is ideal. An f/4 kit lens works if you raise ISO.
- ISO: start at 1600–3200; drop to 800 for very bright aurora.
- Exposure: 2–15 s. 1–4 s for fast-dancing curtains, 8–15 s for faint arcs.
- Focus: autofocus fails in the dark. Switch to manual, magnify a bright star or distant light in live view and adjust until it is a pinpoint. Don't trust the ∞ mark; many lenses focus past infinity. Tape the ring once set.
- Shoot RAW so white balance and noise are easy to fix later.
- Tripod and remote release (or a 2 s timer). Turn off image stabilisation on a tripod.
- Test shot first: check the histogram, then adjust ISO and time.
Cold and gear
- Batteries drain fast in the cold. Keep spares in an inside pocket.
- Condensation: before entering a warm room, put the camera in a bag and let it warm up before opening it.
- Headlamp: use red mode. White light ruins night vision, yours and everyone else's, and other people's photos.
- Wear touchscreen-friendly gloves or thin liners.
Honest photos
Over-saturated aurora shots are common. When sharing, remember the difference between what you saw and what the camera recorded. When you report a sighting to us, uploading an unedited photo makes the observation more useful.