Click here to check out my photos of a great Northern Lights display near Tromsø on October 12, 2023!
Here’s a quick summary of my suggestions and tips for taking photos of auroras on a cruise.
What apps will tell me if auroras are visible?
There are many out there, most pull info from the same sources. “Live Aurora Network” is not free, but it provides real-time sighting information and sky images from multiple locations, and it will send you alerts when there is auroral activity. SpaceWeatherLive and the Glendale App use more scientific data that some people might find difficult to interpret.
What’s the best way to take photos of auroras?
The two most critical things are finding ways to steady your camera and to take manual control of settings if possible. You’ll need to take exposures of several seconds in the dark, and the autofocus on cameras can easily get confused by auroras.
It’s helpful if you have a tripod or a way to brace your camera. However, if you’re on the deck of a cruise ship underway, your situation is more complicated. Most likely you’ll be facing a stiff (and cold) headwind at night in the dark with a lot of other people. And no matter how steadily you brace yourself, the ship’s pitching and rolling will turn every time exposure into a streak of stars. Just enjoy the view and leave photography for a shore excursion!
If you’re using a phone camera, turn off your flash before you do anything else. Use Night Mode in iOS or Android, or Night Sight on Pixel. If your phone is more than three or four years old, you might need to use an app like NightCap Camera (iOS) or HD Camera Pro (Android). You need an app that will let you take long exposures and adjust the ISO. When you’ve pointed the camera in the direction you want, tap on a distant object on the screen to ensure the phone is focused at infinity. Try exposures between 3 and 10 seconds, and ISO of 800 or more. If you have an Apple Watch, you can use it as a remote shutter trigger for your phone.
With a DSLR, use a tripod and a remote shutter release if possible. Adjust your ISO depending on how bright or dark the sky is. In a moonless night in the countryside, you can try ISO 3200-6400. If there are city lights or the moon is bright, lower the ISO to 800-3200. Set white balance to 3500K for a more natural color of the auroras. Turn off noise reduction. Shoot in RAW mode. Use a wide-angle lens opened to the widest f-stop. Turn off autofocus. Manually focus on a distant star or object (use your LCD screen to magnify as you focus). Experiment with exposures: 8 – 20 sec for faint aurora, 3 – 8 sec for brighter aurora, 0.5 – 3 sec for the most active aurora.
Most important, don’t forget to look up! Be sure to try to bask in this incredible experience.
I’ll see you aboard the Silversea Silver Dawn if you’re chasing the Northern Lights between September 22 and October 20, 2023!