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Northern Lights photography guide: From phone snaps to pro shots



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.

Part 1: Using your phone: The smart choice for most people

Your smartphone is more capable than you think, and it has three massive advantages:

  • It's always with you - Northern lights can appear suddenly and disappear just as fast
  • Zero setup time - Modern phones automatically detect low light and adjust settings
  • Smart processing - Your phone's machine learning/AI enhances aurora photos better than most people can manually

Photo: Vegard Stien

Essential phone tips

  • Hold it steady: Lean against a railing, car, or wall or rest your elbows on something solid. Use the volume button to shoot (less shake than tapping screen). Turn on the timer function - even 3 seconds helps!
  • Protect your night vision: Dim your screen to minimum brightness. Avoid checking photos constantly - your eyes need 20 minutes to fully adapt to darkness
  • Smart shooting tactics: Take burst shots - the aurora moves, capture multiple frames. If your phone doesn't enable it automatically: Use night mode or long exposure. Turn off flash. Include foreground elements for scale and try panorama mode for wide aurora displays.
  • Photos or video?: Photos capture more detail and color and (time-lapse) video shows the dance beautifully – do both and alternate between them!
Northern lights at Nordkapp

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Northern lights dancing over red fishing huts in Lofoten


Part 2: Using a dedicated camera

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

Camera settings

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

Part 3: Editing magic

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

Basic edit

First, try the "auto" adjust setting, to see if the phone can get it right without your help – if not proceed as follows:

  1. Increase contrast (+30 to +50)
  2. Boost vibrance (+40 to +60)
  3. Add clarity/structure (+20 to +30)
  4. Lighten shadows slightly
  5. Cool the temperature for better greens

More advanced

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:

  • Greens: Push toward cyan slightly
  • Purples/reds: Enhance magenta
  • Use graduated filter for sky only
  • Keep foreground natural

Photo: Alex Conu

Part 4: Beyond the obvious – getting creative

Everyone takes the same aurora shot. Here's how to create images that stand out and tell a deeper story.

Photo: Vegard Stien

  • Ground your shots with natural elements: Silhouetted trees create drama and mountain ridges add scale. Reflections in water double the impact. Include cabins with warm light for contrast.
  • Add a human element: Get people in the frame as silhouttes looking up, someone pointing or maybe a couple embracing under the lights? Use headlamps to "paint" faces (2-3 second burst during long exposure)
  • Creative lighting: Manual flash at low (1/64) power illuminates foreground and a headlamp can be used for writing/drawing with light during long exposure. Car headlights for dramatic foreground or sparklers or flares for artistic effect (practice first!)

Photo: Hans Petter Sørensen, FarOutFocus, Visit Norway

Photojournalist or artist – which one are you?

Two different approaches for capturing your aurora experience:

The photojournalist

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:

  • The anticipation (checking forecasts, getting dressed, heading out, the trip there)
  • First appearance (that moment everyone notices)
  • Peak moment (when the sky explodes)
  • Human reactions (gasps, pointing, embraces)
  • The aftermath (warming up inside, tired but happy faces, sunrise after the all-nighter)

Photo: Thomas Rasmus Skaug, Visit Norway

The artist

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:

  • Juxtapose the aurora with unexpected elements (power lines, abandoned buildings, intimate portraits)
  • Drag the camera deliberately during exposure for painterly streaks or use colored flash to enhance contrast between the foreground and the aurora green
  • Layer multiple exposures to build impossible skies
  • Shoot through ice formations, wet glass, or crystal for distortion or use puddles, windows, or car hoods for reflection play
  • Isolate just textures and colors – no horizon, no context, pure abstraction
  • Turn the camera completely away from the lights to capture their glow on faces, snow, or buildings

Part 5: Sharing your story

Taking photos is only half the journey. How you edit, select, and share them determines whether people say "nice" or "WOW!"

Photo: Snowhotel Kirkenes

People watching the northern lights in Kirkenes.

The Art of Curation

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.

Photo: Snowhotel Kirkenes

Part 6: Study the masters

Study these photographers and artists for insipration:

Photo: Fredrik Ahlsen, Maverix Media, Visit Norway

Aurora and landscape specialists:

  • Ole Salomonsen @arcticlightphoto - Norwegian aurora photographer, dramatic compositions
  • Babak Tafreshi @babaktafreshi - National Geographic photographer, pioneered "Dreamscape" style combining night sky with landscapes
  • Arild Heitmann @arildheitmannphotography - Norwegian photographer from Lofoten, master of Arctic light, more minimal
  • Reuben Wu @reuben - Drone light-painting in landscapes, futuristic

Fine art photography and painting, focusing on night and special light:

  • Todd Hido @toddhido_ - Suburban nights, often greenish hue, moody long exposures
  • Rinko Kawauchi @rinkokawauchi - Japanese photographer, finds magic in everyday moments, master of light
  • Legendary Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's "Starry Night" (1922)
  • Harald Sohlberg's painting "Vinternatt i Rondane" ("Winter Night in Rondane") from 1914.

Painting: Edvard Munch, Munchmuseet

Final pro tips

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.

Ready to put these tips into practice? Book your Northern Lights adventure with us.

Photo: Havila

Cruise ship sailing under the Northern Lights