How to Photograph the Northern Lights - Tips From Our Guides

Every night we run northern lights tours in Tromsø, our guides watch guests make the same photography mistakes and then help them fix them in real time. After more than two decades of this, we know exactly what goes wrong and how to avoid it.

This guide covers everything you need to know before you arrive. Whether you are carrying a professional camera or planning to use your phone, the principles are the same.

The Single Most Common Mistake: Shooting by Hand

"The most common mistake is not keeping the camera steady. Many guests try to take photos by hand, and the pictures become blurry. A tripod makes all the difference."

— Arctic Guide Service guide, Tromsø

Northern lights photography requires a long exposure, typically between 5 and 20 seconds depending on how active the aurora is. It is physically impossible to hold a camera still for that long. Even the steadiest hands introduce enough micro-movement to produce a blurred, unusable image.

A tripod is not optional. It is the single piece of equipment that separates a sharp, memorable photo from a blurry green smear. If you do not own a tripod, a lightweight travel tripod costs very little and fits in a backpack. If you genuinely cannot bring one, a rock, a fence post, a car bonnet, anything stable, is better than nothing.

📸 Quick tip:  Once your camera is on a tripod, use the 2-second self-timer or a remote shutter release when you press the button. Even the small vibration from your finger pressing the shutter can blur a long exposure.

The Second Mistake: Exposure Time That Is Too Long

The northern lights move. When the aurora is active and dancing quickly across the sky, a 20-second exposure will turn those sharp, structured curtains of light into a blurry, shapeless glow. You lose all the detail that makes aurora photos so dramatic.

As a starting point, use 5–15 seconds for shutter speed. If the lights are moving fast, reduce it to 3–5 seconds. If they are moving slowly and the sky is faint, you can extend to 15–20 seconds. Check your image after each shot and adjust.

The other key settings to know:

• ISO: start at 1600–3200. Increase if the lights are faint, reduce if they are very bright.
• Aperture: as wide (low f-number) as your lens allows, ideally f/2.8 or wider. This lets in maximum light.
• Focus: switch to manual and set to infinity (the ∞ symbol on your lens). Autofocus does not work in the dark.
• Mode: always shoot in manual mode. Auto mode cannot handle the low light conditions and will produce underexposed or completely black images.

Can You Photograph the Northern Lights With a Phone?

Yes — modern smartphones are genuinely capable of capturing the aurora, and the results can be impressive. The same rules apply: you must use a tripod and you must use the right settings.

• Enable Night Mode if your phone has it, this automatically extends the exposure time.
• If your phone has a Pro or Manual mode, use it: set ISO to 1600–3200 and shutter speed to 10–15 seconds.
• Use the 2-second timer to avoid shaking when you tap the shutter.
• Keep your phone in your pocket between shots, cold kills phone batteries very quickly.

The newest iPhones and Pixel phones in particular produce excellent aurora photos in Night Mode without needing any manual adjustment. They will not match a dedicated camera at full resolution, but the results can absolutely be shared and printed.

The Three Things Guests Most Often Forget

"Good gloves, a warm hat, and proper winter boots. When we stay outside for a long time, these are the things people miss the most."

— Arctic Guide Service guide, Tromsø

Photography requires you to stand still for extended periods in temperatures that can drop well below freezing. When you are not moving, the cold reaches you faster than you expect. Our guides consistently observe that guests who are cold struggle to enjoy the experience and give up on their photos too early.

Pack these three things without exception:

• Gloves: Thick, insulated winter gloves not thin liner gloves. Consider mitts with a flip-top so you can adjust settings without fully exposing your hands. Cold fingers on metal camera controls are miserable.
• Warm hat: A significant amount of body heat is lost through your head. A proper thermal hat is not optional in January temperatures of -10°C to -20°C. 
• Winter boots: Waterproof, insulated boots rated for Arctic temperatures. Ordinary leather shoes or trainers will leave your feet numb within 20 minutes of standing on snow. 

Also bring a spare battery for your camera and keep it in an inside pocket close to your body. Cold temperatures drain camera batteries dramatically faster than normal, a battery that would last all day in summer may die within an hour in Arctic winter conditions.

One Thing Our Guides Always Say

"Be patient, put away your phone, and soak in the impressions."

— Arctic Guide Service guide, Tromsø

This advice might seem obvious, but it matters more than any camera setting. The northern lights are a natural phenomenon, they appear when they are ready and they move on when they choose. The guests who have the best experience, and often the best photos, are the ones who are fully present: watching, waiting, and genuinely absorbing what is happening above them.

The worst thing you can do is spend the entire tour with your face behind a camera screen, frantically adjusting settings, and never actually looking up. Set up your camera, take a test shot, adjust if needed and then step back and watch.

The best aurora moments often come just when you have decided to stop trying. Keep your camera ready, but do not let it become the whole experience.

A Note on Autumn Light

If photography is your main priority, consider visiting in October rather than the depths of winter. Temperatures are more manageable, your hands work better, your battery lasts longer, and you can stand outside more comfortably for extended shooting sessions. Unfrozen lakes and fjords also provide reflections that make for dramatic compositions, and the autumn mountain colours add a warmth to the landscape that snow-white January cannot offer.

On Our Tours

Every Arctic Guide Service northern lights tour includes guides with extensive aurora photography experience. They will help you with camera settings in real time, take professional photos of you with the lights as a backdrop, and position the group in the best available location based on live cloud and aurora forecasts.

If you have specific photography goals, long-exposure shots, portraits under the aurora, composition techniques, tell your guide at the start of the evening. They are there to help you come home with photos you are proud of.