042 - How to Capture the Aurora
After last week's episode dedicated to night photography, I got a few questions from listeners about how to take pictures of one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on this planet - the Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights - as they are otherwise known - are a dream for most photographers to capture. But it can be challenging to understand where and when will be the best time to see them and, once you do, how to capture them. Today we will continue with that night sky photography from the last episode and talk about capturing the aurora. And not just the northern lights, but the southern lights as well. Most people in the northern hemisphere don't realize that the southern hemisphere has its own aurora, known as the aurora australis. Both the Northern and Southern Lights share very similar characteristics, so photographing them presents many of the same challenges. Just the geographic locations are different.
Aurora is an earthly phenomenon caused by cosmic influences to create dancing colours in the night's sky. This isn't something that takes place in outer space, but right inside our own atmosphere caused by radiation from the sun hitting the Earth's magnetic field. And the aurora is impressive to watch. But it can also be tricky to find and to see and even harder to capture. But, how to do just that is what we are going to be talking about today! So, let's start with the where.
Where to go
The Northern Lights take palace in the Northern Hemisphere. The closer to the Arctic circle, the better and stronger the lights will be. Aurora shows can sometimes be seen as far south as the Northern United States, but this is rare and really only occurs with the strongest solar storms. You will have some luck capturing the aurora in southern and central Alberta and BC, but to have brilliant shows consistently, you are going to want to get as far north as you can. The Territories in Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, and the northern tips of Finland and Norway are all brilliant places to catch the Northern Lights. The best time of year to see the Northern Lights is typically during winter, so from September to March.
For the Southern Lights, you will want to get as close to the Antarctic Circle as you can. But this can be a challenge. There is a lot more inhabited and easy to access landmass near the arctic circle than near the antarctic circle. Making it much more difficult to find places to watch the Southern Lights from. That being said, there are still plenty of options. Such as the Southernmost tip of Australia, Tasmania, most of New Zealand (but specifically the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve), the south of Argentina (particularly near the city of Ushuaia), and South Georgia Island (which some Antarctica cruises will take you to). The best time to see the Southern Lights is also during winter, so from May to August.
Basically, for both sets of lights, get as close to the polar circles as you can, and you will have a better chance of seeing them. Winter nights are also much longer closer to the poles, giving you a chance to see the aurora at all times of the day. Conversely, the summer months have very limited night time windows, severely limiting your opportunities to see the lights.
What to Watch Out for
Alright, now that you know where and when let's talk about some of the things you will be looking for once you get to your destination. The first thing you are going to need is clear skies. A completely overcast night will block your view of the lights. The clearer the night, the better. This will mean keeping an eye on weather patterns, forecasts, and just looking out the window to see how the world is looking where you are. While you are watching the weather, you will want to watch the Aurora forecasts as well. Aurora activity is measured from 0 to 9 (9 being the highest and 0 being none). With a higher aurora forecast, you have a better probability of seeing something. With a really high forecast, you may see a spectacular show. To get a forecast, I use an app called Aurora Forecast. However, there are so many forecasting apps globally, with some being highly region-specific, that you should ask around wherever you are to get the best one for that area.
With ratings, they are a guess at how high the aurora activity will be. Generally speaking, in non-high active zones (like the southern part of Canada), you will want a rating of at least 3-4 to head out and try to see the aurora.
If you are in a high aurora activity zone (like the far north or the far south), head out every night regardless of predicted aurora activity because there is always a chance you may get a show. Even on nights where it is a 1 or 2, you may get to see something.
But, all that being said, aurora hunting can be unpredictable. Even on high probability nights, you may not see anything. So be prepared to stay outside for hours on end waiting. And it may take a few days even in the highest of aurora active places to get a glimpse of the lights. And once you do, the show may last for hours, or it may only last a few minutes. It can be very unpredictable. So you will need to be ready.
One nice thing, in terms of timing, the amount of moonlight won't really change the aurora you see. So, unlike astrophotography, where you want a new moon for the best star photos, you can head out whenever during the moon cycle to try and capture the aurora. A full moon can sometimes be a blessing, actually, as it will illuminate your landscape and help create a more interesting composition.
You will want to be as far away from cities as possible for this as well. The less light pollution, the more you are going to be able to see. I have seen the Northern Lights over downtown Calgary, which was a bit confusing while driving, seeing bright green clouds (or at least what I thought were clouds) in the sky. But that is very rare. To have the best chance, remove yourself from civilization.
Gear to Take
Ok, so, watch the forecasts for the weather and the aurora. Get a clear night with a chance of there being an aurora show, and then get as far away from city lights as you can. Now it is time for the actual photography. Before heading out the door, you will need to pack:
a high-quality tripod (one that won't shake or vibrate in the breeze)
a remote shutter release
a camera with manual controls
the fastest, widest lens you own. Ideally, this is a 24mm lens or wider that has an aperture of f/2.8 or more. You can get away with f/4, but you will be cranking up your ISO, and we want to avoid that if possible.
Also, bring all the spare batteries you have and keep them tucked somewhere warm so the cold doesn't sap the energy out of them.
Plus, you'll want water, snacks, layers and all the other things you need to be out at night taking photos. I always like to have a little chair with me as well to be more comfortable. Much nicer than sitting on a cold rock.
Hopefully, you have followed the advice from last week's podcast and have pre-scouted a location. This can be a bit more difficult with the aurora as it can show up anywhere in the sky, so look for a spot where you can see lots of the world around you (mountain tops and ridges are great for this, as is the open prairie). You don't want to be driving around at night, guessing where you should be. Have a destination in mind that you have visited before so that you have an idea of trails and their hazards.
When you get there, set up your camera. You don't want to be trying to get it set up as the aurora dances around you. Be ready for it.
So your there, your ready; let's talk camera settings to get you started. Obviously, these will all be highly situational dependent.
Settings to Use
Focus
Use manual focus and get your lens focused on infinity. You can do this in advance during the day. Find a subject in the distance and use manual focus to dial in your infinity focus, then mark your lens (using tape or a marker) at the point where your camera focuses the best at infinity. If you didn't do this already, try focusing on the stars and dialling in their sharpness. Once you've set your focus, don't move the camera around, and if you do, don't forget to re-check your focus.
Aperture
Keep your aperture wide open. If you are using an f/4 lens, keep it there. But if you are shooting with something faster, you can actually stop the lens open just a bit to provide yourself with a bit more sharpness in your shots. So if you are shooting with an f/2.8, you can usually get away with shooting at an f/3.5 or f/4. If it is a really faint aurora, put your aperture back to its widest point. But otherwise, try to keep it a stop up to provide a bit more sharpness.
Shutter Speed
This will be very variable and will depend on how much the aurora is dancing. If it's very bright and moving fast, a few seconds may be all you need (or can use), but you may need to go up to 20 or 30 seconds if it's a quieter night. You will need to dial this in once you see how the aurora is moving.
ISO
Your ISO will change depending on the shutter speed you can use. Try to keep it as low as possible while still having a properly exposed image. And remember the limits of your camera. The Sony A7RIV and the Canon R5 are both very good with high-ISO shots. In contrast, a camera like the Canon 7D Mark II struggles once you get above 800 ISO.
Shoot in Raw
This should be obvious by now, don't shoot in jpeg. Shoot all your images in RAW. This will allow you to get the most out of your photos.
And that's really it. Photographing the aurora can be a bit challenging the first time you see it. It can change quickly and come and go rapidly. So be ready, do the best you can, and enjoy seeing one of the most impressive sights on our planet.
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