Basic Photography Tips for Northern Lights in Iceland

Among the many scenic spots that must be photographed in life, I think many people will also think that the theme of "Aurora" will be at the top of the list! The author was lucky enough to have the opportunity to shoot at the beginning of the year, and went to Iceland, a popular place for "Chasing the Aurora", to shoot the Northern Lights for the first time. I would like to share the shooting skills I learned here, so that all students can be more prepared for the actual shooting!

This sharing session will start from three aspects: equipment preparation, camera settings and composition and framing. Without further ado, start now!

(1) Equipment preparation

Most aurora photography is done at night, so the equipment requirements for aurora photography are very similar to those for night scene photography. Basically, you need to prepare the following. Equipment:

Camera 1 or 2 tripod 1 or 2 shutter cable 1 battery 2 + lens wide angle x 1 telephoto x 1 fisheye x 1 filter not required black card not required or 1

Camera

Of course you need to use a camera to take pictures, and sometimes you need to use a high ISO, so full-frame will have advantages, but it is not necessary. It would be more convenient to capture different aurora patterns with 2 cameras, but of course, one will do too! It is recommended to bring a camera with manual mode (M-mode) or shutter priority (S/Tv-mode)

Tripod

A stable tripod is very important, because when There are often strong winds blowing outdoors. If your tripod is not stable, you will fail to take photos. It is recommended to have a sufficient height to avoid raising the central axis too much, which will affect the stability. The head and quick release plate must be stable and lockable.

A stable tripod is very important when photographing the Northern Lights.

Some tripods can be equipped with nail feet, suitable for use on ice. (Online picture)

Shutter release cable

To avoid vibration when pressing the shutter button, it is recommended to use a shutter release cable if you want to shoot a time-lapse video (Time-lapse) or in the same position For continuous shooting, please use a shutter release cable

Batteries

Batteries will run out faster in cold places, so you must bring multiple backup batteries

Lens< /p>

It is recommended to bring lenses with three focal lengths, because the aurora is unpredictable, and it is more convenient to have more focal lengths. Wide-angle lens (e.g. 11-24mm): shoot large scenes. Medium focal length (e.g. 50-70mm): the subject matches the aurora. Telephoto range of the image (e.g. 200-300mm): a close-up of the shooting environment. Fisheye lens: You can also bring it if you have it to make your photos more varied (Reference: A must-have super interesting fisheye lens for travel photography!)

Although the lens you need to bring for travel photography is optional, it is best to bring long, medium and short focal lengths when shooting the Northern Lights. (Internet picture)

Filters

Basically, there is no need to use filters. The author also removes the UV/protective lens when shooting to avoid affecting the image (but be careful!) < /p>

Black card

Use according to the situation, if there is no very bright light source, it is basically necessary to use it

Fish glasses can shoot aurora over a wide range - Photo by Ahpo Ho (Nikon D610.16mm fisheye.f/2.8.ISO800.10s)

(2) Camera settings

Shooting auroras is very similar to shooting night scenes. Basically, you will also use "manual" Mainly "M-mode" (learn to shoot in manual mode), the aperture is usually set to the maximum (e.g. f/2.8, f/4), and the ISO and shutter should be set according to the following conditions: If you want to take a darker picture or want to take a picture of the flowing auroras: lower ISO (such as: ISO320, 640, etc.) + slow shutter (such as: 20 seconds). If you want to take a darker picture or want to take a picture of the jumping aurora: high ISO (such as: ISO1600, 3200, etc.) + faster shutter speed (such as: 4 seconds, 8 seconds)

If you use a slow shutter speed, you will take photos of the auroras like flowing water. (Nikon D810.f/2.8.100mm.ISO400.20s)

If you use a faster shutter speed and a higher ISO, you can avoid the "jumping" aurora form. (Nikon D810.30mm.f/4.ISO3200.8s)

Of course, the focus should be set to infinity (tutorial below), and turn off the anti-shock and auto ISO functions. Also remember not to turn on the "Long Time Exposure Noise Removal" function to avoid wasting time during shooting. The white balance can be set to Auto, or directly set to Daylight/5000K. It is recommended to save photos to RAW + JPG for easy post-production.

(Why save RAW files?)

(3) Composition and framing

Even on the same night, the time and direction of the aurora often change, so the composition of some aurora shots The changes can be huge. Students can follow the following tips for reference:

(A) It is not impossible to find something as a "foreground" to set off just the form of the aurora, but it will make the photo look monotonous. So if you can, please find a foil for the aurora. It can be an ice cube, a mountain, a forest, or even a cabin. The photos you take will be richer!

Adding appropriate foreground can make the overall photo richer. (Photo by ?greenzowie)

(B) Photographing the lines/diagonals of the aurora

There are many changes in the shape of the aurora, which is basically difficult to predict, but if The aurora is long or curved. You might as well place the aurora on a diagonal to bring out the dynamics of the aurora.

(C) Decide whether the sky or the ground will be the protagonist

Sometimes you don’t have to let the aurora be the protagonist. You can use the aurora as the background and the surrounding environment as the subject to shoot, which has a unique flavor. Yes!

Photographing the cabin with the Northern Lights. (Photo by Emil Kepko) The light and darkness of the foreground

If you have seen aurora photos online, you will see that the foreground of some photos is very clear and bright, while others are darker. This is because of the moon. Impact: When the moon is full, it will illuminate the foreground, but when there is no moon, the foreground will be dark. Therefore, before arranging your itinerary, take a look at the moon's condition and make preparations in advance.

How to set the focus to "infinity" in the dark night?

In the dark night, the camera's autofocus is likely to fail. In this case, we have two methods to set the lens to "infinity":

(Method 1) First set Set to manual focus mode, then use the focus ruler on the lens to adjust the lens to "∞" (infinity);

(Method 2) First set to autofocus, then pick up the camera and press halfway Focus on a distant luminous object (such as the moon, distant lights, houses, etc.), and then set to manual focus mode.

It is recommended that all students use the method (Method 2) to set it, because the infinity of the focus ruler may not be accurate!

The most important element in photographing the Aurora?

If we want to talk about the ultimate element in photographing the aurora, it is not equipment or skills, but luck! Because the aurora is a magical phenomenon of nature, the place, frequency, and scope of its appearance are also very random. Of course, you can also use some websites or apps to predict the intensity of the aurora. But when chatting with local Icelanders, they also said that in fact The appearance of the aurora is difficult to "predict". Sometimes the prediction is very weak but it will be very bright when it appears. Of course, there are also weather factors: cloudy, rain (snow), etc. will also affect the viewing of the aurora, so it is strongly recommended that students allow more time. And pray for luck!

Postscript

Aurora, whether in the North Pole or Antarctica, is also a subject worthy of appreciation and photography. You have to go once in your life, right? I hope that after reading this sharing, all students will be well prepared to chase the aurora!