How to Track, View and Photograph the Northern Lights π
2024 and 2025 are supposed to be a big years for the aurora borealis. Are you ready?
If I could categorize the FAQs that land in my emails, direct messages and comments on social media I would say questions about the northern lights top the charts. π Itβs a fascinating subject that has mesmerized humans since time immemorial, and itβs one I love to capture with the camera. In this Special Edition of Fuelled by Creativity, I will give you some tips and point you to some of my favourite resources to help you view, track, and photograph the aurora borealis!
Many of the resources below are suitable for photographers and non-photographers alike.
For the photographers out there, I would argue that the aurora is one of the trickiest phenomena to photograph, but also one of the most rewarding. It takes work, patience, dedication, technical know-how, and a scientific understanding to end up with next-level aurora imagery.
Letβs dive in!
Why are 2024/2025 so promising for Northern Lights?
Itβs in the mainstream media, all over the place: headlines like β2024 may bring the best aurora borealis in 20 yearsβ (National Geographic) or βWhy youβll have more chances to see the northern lights in 2024β (CBC).
Even better news is itβs likely 2025 as well. So, letβs learn the basics of why these lights show up in the first place. As I wrote in Spirits in the Sky, βThe aurora occurs when the solar wind (gas emitted by the Sun) interacts with the earthβs magnetosphere. When charged particles from the sun strike atoms in the Earth's atmosphere, they cause electrons in the atoms to move to a higher energy state. The atoms release photons (light) when the electrons drop back to a lower energy state.β
So, whatβs up with 2024 and 2025? The sun's activity cycle spans roughly eleven years, during which solar activity ebbs and flows. Scientists estimate that the peak of activity of the current solar cycle is to occur this year and next. That means weβll have a higher likelihood of witnessing and documenting the aurora.
How will I know when the lights are out?
There are three main ways, which I describe in detail in my eBook, Paul Zizkaβs Guide to Viewing and Photographing Northern Lights (save 20% with checkout code AURORA20).
1/ Turn to the Experts:
Rely on the expertise of others by joining a local aurora chasers Facebook Group (or other forum). These tend to be vibrant online venues where people are keen to share their knowledge and their observations, and where you will notice significant chatter should there be a chance of seeing the aurora at your latitude. If you check in daily, itβs unlikely youβll ever miss a big show.
I would also recommend you keep an eye on the Facebook groups that are based at a location east of you. Why? Because they will get darkness before you and can give you a heads-up if the sky lights up. That way, you know that as soon as it gets dark in your area, there might be a chance of capturing something, and so you can be ready for that.
2/ Locate Local Webcams:
Locate any of your local north-facing webcams and keep a close eye on them. You can debate the data all you want with your peers, but you canβt argue with direct visual observations from the field.
3/ Educate Yourself:
The last way to know whether the aurora will dance or not is to take time to educate yourself and learn about the science. That means looking at graphs on a regular basis, which might not sound that exciting, but it allows you to make your own educated guess as to whether or not something will happen, and it allows you to rely less on others. There are now countless online resources for assessing aurora potential but this is my one-stop shop: SolarHam.net. Your first visit to SolarHam will likely leave you feeling a little overwhelmed. After all, there is a lot of data on there. In the eBook, I explain some of the basics for reading the data (donβt forget to apply AURORA20).
You can then increase your chances of viewing them with this simple equation:
Top Tips for Photographing Northern Lights
In the eBook I offer 15+ tips for photographing the northern lights, including how to adjust your camera settings, composing in the dark and more. Hereβs a snapshot of Tip #2!
TECHNICAL MATTERS
Nighttime photography tends to be time-consuming and requires some adjustments. Here are some more technically-oriented details you can take care of before heading out on the chase. Note that several of these come down to personal preference.
a. Shoot in the Raw format. Aurora images commonly require a touch more post-processing than, say, daytime shots. I find it helpful to start out with raw files that will give me as much latitude as possible when it comes to editing.
b. Shoot in manual (M) mode. I find that other modes like aperture priority can get thrown off when shooting at night, and so I prefer taking over full control of the settings.
c. Donβt rely on your LCD.Β Do not rely on your LCD screen as a means of assessing how bright your image is. Instead, learn how to interpret the histogram (see Tip #6 in the book).
d. Turn in-camera noise reduction off. I find that getting the camera to perform noise reduction drastically cuts down on your actual shooting time. Besides, I much prefer doing noise reduction in post where I have more control over where in the image I want to reduce noise and by how much.
e. Use timers or releases. The simple act of physically pressing the shutter button on your camera is enough to introduce camera shake, which will result in a loss of sharpness in your long exposures. For that reason, use the two-second timer for triggering or use an intervalometer (either built-in or wired).
f. Turn auto ISO off. The choice of ISO is such a crucial decision in astrophotography. Itβs best to take over control from the camera.
g. Turn lens and in-body stabilization off. Some lenses and camera bodies offer incredibly sophisticated ways to reduce camera shake when shooting handheld. Although itβs somewhat counter-intuitive, those features can actually result in reduced sharpness if left on when using a tripod. Itβs best to turn them off.
h. White balance considerations. I personally go with a bluer setting, like 3500K. But the truth is if youβre shooting RAW files, you can always adjust the white balance after the fact, without losing out on image quality. At the very least, I would recommend a constant colour temperature as opposed to going with βautoβ white balance.
i. Use your lens hood. Itβs very easy to underestimate the undesirable impacts and reach of stray light when shooting the aurora, especially as we shoot very long exposures on very wide lenses, and at very fast apertures that gather light quickly. For that reason, I highly recommend shooting with the lens hood on. Some hoods will also prevent moisture from reaching the surface of the lens.
j. Remove all filters. Filters are very rarely necessary in aurora photography. Not only can they reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor, but they can also introduce artefacts that are impossible to get rid of in post. Itβs best to leave them off altogether, even the UV protective ones.
Again, all that is just one tip from the eBook! Grab a copy for 20% off using code AURORA20 at checkout.
On the Paul Zizka Shop
β eBook: Paul Zizkaβs Guide to Viewing and Photographing Northern Lights (AURORA20)
β Spirits in the Sky: Northern Lights Photography (coffee table book)
β Limited-Edition Prints: The Aurora Collection
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