An exclusive guide for Fjord Travel Norway newsletter subscribers. Save the this page as a bookmark to read it again later. Modern phones have made northern lights photography accessible to everyone – and that's just the beginning! While your smartphone might be all you need for memorable aurora shots, understanding cameras, editing, and creative presentation will transform those shots from good to extraordinary. We'll cover it all: the surprisingly capable phone approach, the technical camera route, and the creative secrets that separate tourist photos from art.
Your smartphone is more capable than you think, and it has three massive advantages:
Photo: Vegard Stien
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If you've brought a proper camera with manual controls, you can push the quality even further and take more control over how the image turns out. Here's exactly how to set up your camera for optimal aurora capture.
Photo: Ismaele Tortella, Visit Norway
ISO: Start at 1600-3200. Lower if aurora is bright (800-1600) or higher if faint (3200-6400). Many modern cameras handle 6400 well.
Aperture: Wide open (often somewhere between f/1.4 and f/2.8 depending on your lens). Don't go narrower than f/4.
Shutter Speed: 5-15 seconds. 5-8 seconds for bright auroras or 10-15 seconds for more faint northern lights. Longer = more blur in aurora movement.
Tripod: Use a tripod if possible. It's a good idea to turn off Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to limit compensating micro-movements when using a tripod. If you dont have one, lean the camera or your body against something stable and leave OIS on.
Lens choice: Wide angle (14-24mm) for full sky drama. Standard (35-50mm) for aurora details
Focus: Manual focus on infinity or use the moon or bright stars to get focus.
Filters: Consider a light pollution filter near cities.
Photo: Sven Erik Knoff, Visit Norway
Raw aurora photos can look disappointingly gray and flat. Don't worry – this is normal. The real magic happens in editing, whether on your phone or computer.
Photo: Hans Petter Sørensen, FarOutFocus, Visit Norway
First, try the "auto" adjust setting, to see if the phone can get it right without your help – if not proceed as follows:
Fighting grain (high ISO noise): Use luminance noise reduction (30-50). Keep color noise reduction low (10-20). Mask the sky separately from foreground
Color grading:
Photo: Alex Conu
Everyone takes the same aurora shot. Here's how to create images that stand out and tell a deeper story.
Two different approaches for capturing your aurora experience:
Think like a documentarian covering an event, focus on the narrative. Maybe the best picture to convey the experience is not of the sky and Northern Lights itself, but a close up portrait with a greenish hue, a detail shot of cold hands wrapped around hot coffee or wool socks drying by the fireplace afterwards?
Ideas for a story arc:
Photo: Thomas Rasmus Skaug, Visit Norway
Maybe you're more of the artist type? In art photography, the goal isn't to document reality but to transform it – to create that sense of estrangement where familiar things become alien and beautiful. The aurora stops being "northern lights" and becomes pure light-painting material, abstract color fields, or emotional atmosphere.
Some creative approaches to explore:
Taking photos is only half the journey. How you edit, select, and share them determines whether people say "nice" or "WOW!"
Photo: Snowhotel Kirkenes
Less is more, regardless of your approach. Choose a few images that earn their place in the series.
The key is intentionality: Are you building a narrative that moves from anticipation through climax to resolution? Or creating a meditation on light and form where each image offers a variation on your theme? Maybe you're contrasting human warmth against Arctic cold, or exploring how the aurora transforms familiar landscapes into alien worlds.
Your selection principle might be chronological, emotional, formal, or conceptual – just make sure you have one. A focused edit with clear vision beats 50 good-but-disconnected shots every time.
Consider how you share your series—whether in a photobook, a simple online album, or on social media. The right format can make your best shots shine and help your story connect.
Study these photographers and artists for insipration:
Photo: Fredrik Ahlsen, Maverix Media, Visit Norway
Aurora and landscape specialists:
Fine art photography and painting, focusing on night and special light:
Painting: Edvard Munch, Munchmuseet
Battery management: Cold kills batteries - keep spares warm in inside pockets. Tape hand warmers to camera body and turn off image preview to save power
Comfort equals better photos: Dress warmer than you think necessary. Use mittens with removable finger tips. Headlamp with red light preserves night vision
Respect the moment: Don't photograph constantly, remember to experience it with your eyes first!
Photo: Steffen Fossbakk, Visit Norway
This guide is exclusive to Fjord Travel Norway newsletter subscribers.
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Photo: Havila