Photographing the northern lights in Lofoten

Kit

Visit Lofoten's photography guide, written by local photographer Cody Duncan, suggests:

• a camera with a wide lens of around 14–24 mm and an aperture of f/2.8 or faster
• a tripod for the long exposures
• a cable release or remote, so the camera is not touched during an exposure
• fully charged spare batteries, since cold shortens battery life, and spare memory cards

Visit Lofoten's winter guide also recommends a head torch in the dark months.

Focus

Focus at infinity, either with autofocus on a distant light or manually by zooming in on the rear screen, then switch the lens to manual focus. Take a test shot and zoom in on stars or a mountain outline to check sharpness. Recheck through the night, as it is easy to knock the focus ring with gloves on.

Exposure

There is no single correct exposure. The guide's starting point is ISO 3200, f/2.8 and 8 seconds, in manual mode.

• Faint, slow arcs: 10 seconds or longer works.
• Bright, fast-moving displays: shorten the exposure, ideally under 4 seconds, to keep shapes defined.
• Brightness can change by two to three stops or more on an active night, so keep adjusting.
• Judge exposure from the histogram rather than the screen. Eyes adjusted to the dark make images look brighter than they are.

Phones

Visit Lofoten advises turning off the flash and autofocus on a phone, and bringing a tripod and spare power.

Composition

• Wet sand on beaches reflects the aurora. The guide suggests a mid to low tide, preferably falling, for the widest clean sand, and keeping bags on rocks above the tideline.
• A quarter moon or brighter lights the landscape, and the guide says moonlight only affects the faintest auroras.
• Low, slow arcs are easier to compose than a sky-filling display because they hold their position longer.

Planning the night

Check Yr's aurora forecast and cloud cover before heading out, and park in lay-bys or car parks rather than on the E10. See where to see the northern lights for north-coast beaches, and best time for the northern lights for the season.