How to Find and Photograph the Auroras
Northern Lights over the Garður Lighthouse in Western Iceland
It looks like they are dancing on the horizon, but they are 150 miles above Earth
Welcome!
I’m sure you’ve been mezmerized by seeing those pictures of the Aurora over Iceland! And now you decided to capture some images of your own. Excellent idea!
In this guide, I will show you how to find the aurora (and not get caught in a deadly storm). And once you found it, I’ll show you the proper settings for your camera (including your iPhone!).
Fasten your seatbelts!
what causes the aurora?
Auroras on Earth are caused by solar flares on the Sun, 92 million miles away. The solar flares send charged particles streaming towards earth. The charged parrticles are not traveling at the speed of light, so it takes them about 3.5 days to reach earth. (Sunlight takes only 8 minutes to reach Earth!).
When these charged particles reach the earth they interact with gasses in our high atmosphere, about 150 miles above the earth. The glow of the aurora is created in the same way as a neon sign works - charged partices interacting with gasses.
The color of the aurora is determined by the gases that the charged particles interact with.
When the particles interact with Oxygen gases, you will see the classic green and red colors in the Aurora. Interactions with Nitrogen gasses create the blue colors in the Aurora.
If there were significant neon gasses in our atmosphere, they would appear as an orange Aurora.
The Auroras also occur in the Southern Hemisphere where they are called “Aurora Australis”.
You can imagine some distant planet having much different aurora colors! Maybe even colors we have never seen!
SPEED OF THE AURORA in the sky
Since the Aurora is created by charge particles in the high atomsphere, it can move very quickly thru the night sky. When it is very active, the aurora can jump across the entire sky in just a few seconds!
Generally, the aurora is moving much faster than clouds or jet airplanes. This is important to remember when photographing the aurora. You will need to keep your exposure duration as short as possible (around 2-5 second exposures) in order to capture crisp aurora images.
The solar activity has cycles.
We are in a period of increasing solar activity which means more Auroras!
When Can you See the aurora in Iceland?
Solar activity is always happening - day and night. So, actually, the Aurora is always in the skies above Earth. Why? because the sun is always shining on the earth - day and night.
You can see auroras anytime during the year - as long as the skies are dark - and clear.
which Season is best for viewing?
While the Aurora is always present above the earth, some seasons are best for finding and viewing the aurora.
SUMMER (JUN-JUL-AUG) - Nope.
While Summer is beautiful in Iceland, you cannot see the aurora because the sun never fully sets, so you do not have dark nights.
FALL (SEPT-OCT) - Yes.
Fall is a very good time to see the aurora at night. There tends to be fewer storms in the Fall (as compared to Winter and Spring), so there is a better chance that there are clear skies at night.
SPRING (MAR-APR-MAY) - Yes, with snow covered landscape.
In Spring the nights are dark and the country is covered in snow. You can see the aurora on a clear night. They look paticularly amazing because of the snow covered landscape. In Spring there will be more storms (as compared to Fall), but it is worth the effort to find them.
WINTER (NOV-DEC-JAN-FEB) - Yes, but watch out for severe storms!
In Winter, the sun barely rises during the daytime, so the skies are dark most of the day and night - but the storms can be brutal during this season. Winters are known for severe/windy storms that last for a week or longer. These storms are so severe that you can get stuck in your hotel room until they pass. And, you cannot travel to another location on the island because the roads are dangrous during the storms. But if the skies are clear (no storms), then you can shoot virtually 24 hours a day! (Remember - the Aurora is always in the sky as long as it is dark.)
Clear / Dark Skys are key
One of the main challenges to seeing the northern lights is that the skies need to be clear at night. The cloud cover changes frequently in iceland, so you need to use forecasts to determine when and where is the best viewing location.
Fortunately, Iceland provides a website which has very reliable forcasts for cloud cover. I have spent many days traveling across Iceland in order to get in position to have clear skies at night. This is the website I use - multiple times a day.
Cloud cover forecast of Iceland
GREEN indicates Clouds, WHITE indicates No Clouds / Clear Skies.
You need to avoid storms and wind
While you are looking for clear skies (i.e. lack of cloud cover), you will also need to pay close attention to the winds. There can be extreme winds - and clear skies - in the same location. The same website also provides forecasts for winds across Iceland. In the image below, the orange/red/yellow colors indicate severe winds. These winds are strong enough to blow you car off of the road. These winds must be avoided! You need to watch the wind reports daily to make sure you are not caught by surprise.
Iceland is less than 400 miles across, so storms move quikcly across the country. The weather can change quickly - which is both good and bad!
Orange/Red/Yellow indicate SEVERE winds (YELLOW = 72 mph!)
Plan your route ahead of time to avoid Severe Winds!
understanding Aurora Forecasts / strength
Think of the Auroras as waves on the ocean - some days are better than others. The better Auroras (particle waves) occur when there is strong solar activity on the Sun.
The particles take 3.5 days to travel from the Sun to the Earth, so there is a reliable 3.5 day forecast for the Aurora.
AURORA FORECAST APPS
Below are my favorite Aurora forecasting apps - “My Aurora Forecast’ and ‘Aurora Forecast”.
Location, Location, Location
Auroras hit the top of the erth, soo gnerally they originate in the north. But once they have started they can move in any Direction.
Once you’ve found clear skies and the aurora forcast is good, then you’ll want to find a good setting for photogrpahing the Aurora.
An exellent composition will rake your aurpora photogrpahy to the next level.
Here are some of my favorite locations!
photographing the aurora
Now that you have found the aurora, it’s time to capture some amazing images!
Still Camera - Optimal Equipment:
1) A DSLR/Mirror-less Camera which supports MANUAL settings of Exposure Duration, Aperture and ISO.
2) Preferably a very wide-angle lens (14mm on a Full-Frame Camera). Then Lens should be “FAST” meaning that the maximum Aperture is F2.8 (or even F1.4 or F1.8)
3) A Sturdy Tripod.
Still Camera Settings:
1) Aperture - Set as wide open as possible for your lens - *this wll let the most light into the lens). F2.8 is preferred, but if your have a F1.8 or F1.4 lens then use it!
2) ISO - 1600-5000 ISO - This setting is based on your camera. THe goal is to set it as high as pssible, but not so much that is creates NOISE on your images). Newer (Mirrorless) cameras can set ISO quite high without creating a lot of NOISE.
3) Exposure Duration - This is your main variable setting. You will be changing this during the evening based upon how bright the Aurora is. The goal here is to keep the exposure as low as possible - around 5 seconds - or shorter - if possible.
iPhone 14 Pro Settings:
The iPhone tends to take better video of the Aurora than photos.
Here are the settings I have been most successful with:
RECORD VIDEO- 4k / 30 FPS (Found under CAMERA Settings)
Apple ProRes - ON (This setting is found under CAMERA -> FORMATS)
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Once you have chosen your season, it is best to plan to be in Iceland for a least a week. While the Aurora has the potential to appear on any night, storms and clouds can block your view. Or the aurora might not be strong on the clear nights. If you stay for a week, then you have more opportunities to explore Iceland and capture the Aurora.
This information is intended to help you better understand how to plan for a trip to Iceland. But remember, Iceland is a foreign country, so it is best to have a guide who knows when and where to go - in order to capure the best images - day and night. Since the weather is always changing, your plans will never go as expected - and a guide knows how best to react to changing conditions.
Ask yourself this - Would you go to Africa without a guide?
Enjoy!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Required Disclaimer: This page is for informational use only. Use your best judgement when deciding to visit a foreign country. We accept no liability for your personal experience in Iceland.