How to Photograph the NORTHERN LIGHTS! Basic to Advanced

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Shooting the northern lights - aka the aurora borealis photography - doesn't have to be difficult. However, you have to know your camera pretty well, and you have to have had some practice with taking night photographs. If you can master those things, then all you need are a few extra pointers to get that perfect northern lights photograph.
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[@JustinandFifatheVizsla]

Great instructions! I'm heading to Fairbanks, Alaska mid-February and needed this video. Thanks!

[@prathamesha6113]

Do you need a weather sealed cam/lens?

[@VinDieselS70]

Seen a proper good dancing one near Glasgow a few years ago. Absolute amazing as it lasted for about 20 minutes. Can still see them randomly with the use of a camera and a shutter speed at about 20 sec. I'm a native swede that moved to Scotland and as I never saw one in Sweden I was like oh wow as I never thought you could see them this far south. Up north and on the Shetlands you can see them quite frequently.

[@ChimneySwift11]

Awesome video guys!!! I had an absolute blast on this trip with you, let's do something like this again soon! Also, I can't wait to post my video on this experience...too much fun! :D

[@robnelsonfilms]

Same Mike! So glad you were able to come. The time-lapses were incredible. I'm really looking forward to your release later this week.

[@joefranks4235]

I use a Canon 7D Mark ii (Looking forward to the Mark iii). Tonight the northern lights are suppose to be good, but the moon will be full. I live in the upper midwest in the U.S. and will take a drive up to Lake Superior. I like to do time lapse over a six hour period and I use a Canon interverlometer. I expose for 28sec with a 3 second pause. I set my lens (28mm wide angle) to infinity and the ISO to 3200. Any lower and the lights won't show up as bright. I've gone as high as 4000, but getting a print of the exposure and it is totally grainy. I also use hand warmers on the lens. I cut the top off of an old sock, slide it over the lens and slip two hand warmers under it. Why? Because it keeps the lens from fogging up especially if it is going to be a muggy night or it is really cold-to keep the lens from frosting up. Back in 2016 I did a time lapse of the northern lights and it came out fantastic.

[@LindaUrsin]

I see them every winter :) I live in Norway now but I was born and raised in southern Lappland

[@JoeMama-ci9bd]

Linda Ursin Lapland is awesome! Finland 🇫🇮

[@theswat8472]

Mohammad:when I get the smartphone version of night camera low light photos then I’ll compare ISO:1600 to ISO:8000

[@SummerLight]

Best place in the world to see the Aurora only by camera 😂 here is in Canada we see the northern light with naked pretty much from October till end of March two days ago March 20th the Aurora was dancing for almost 6 hours not 15 minutes!!!!

[@montyfacker]

Why didnt you take the time to go to Trosmø in Norway?

[@robnelsonfilms]

We were only here for 72 hours so we had to prioritize. Next time!

[@montyfacker]

Ok, I just know its one of the best places in Scandinavia to hunt for the Aurora Borealis

[@robnelsonfilms]

It's close to where we were. We just chose the Swedish side since the flights from Stockholm were cheaper...

[@Hrethgir]

I'm going to be up in northern Alaska in about a month to hopefully see the Northern Lights, these tips will hopefully be helpful!

[@gabriellefox5724]

This was a great vid 🤗 did you use dew heaters ? I'm in nz and night photography is cold but we have the arauras australis which has more orange and reds so very cool no one mentions it much though.

[@jessicaeisenmann581]

Shout out for mentioning the concentric circles from the UV filter! Definitely did that during my first epic aurora. Such a bummer but I'll never do that again haha.

[@MsMoJean]

I wish I had watched this before I went out to try and shoot the lights last night. It was my first time, and all my decent shots had the bands from the lens filter.

[@themadgreek]

Can't imagine how exciting that was...well done guys!

[@laffilmfest3759]

Pretty cool.....going try ur tips

[@IslandPhotoNews]

Great job, love your vids. I feel your pain of 15 minutes of sightings in three days. My wife and I were blessed this past October (2019) in Yellowknife, NWT, where we were treated to four straight nights of fantastic displays that lasted all night. Talk about luck!! :)

[@robnelsonfilms]

Congrats on that! Must have been awesome!

[@IslandPhotoNews]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKaqiYevjb-lrJI

[@NBWDOUGHBOY]

So was it basically taking 10-30 second pictures over and over again to create the Timelapse? Im kind of confused..

[@alanward4551]

Going to Alta next march... 2020... With a leica Q & M... Great Video thanks for sharing... You mentioned processing a shot in a future video.... Have you done this yet. Please send me the link.. Thanks

[@AuroraNowApp]

6:52 - WOW!! Awesome video, love the content!

[@Visualtreats69]

Just noticed the last comment was 3 years ago. lol

[@Smirashinde0811]

Really appreciate the way you put forward your concept.

[@robnelsonfilms]

+sushil shinde thanks!

[@Travelingmel]

Lucky enough to have seen these quite a bit and it is very special. Fantastic tutorial as always. Amazing that you were able to get them on video. I would add that they can ebb and flow. They can even come back after awhile. -Henry

[@doug_hardman]

That was great, entertaining and informative

[@Tubularjake]

Title "how to photography the northern lights" First words of the video "how to film the northern lights" ......

[@andreheuer]

We'll go next week to Abisko, hope to catch something there. :)

[@marcellusdelemos736]

Not a real tutorial.

[@elifdilerincecayr5909]

Whıch camera?

[@snapshotmojo]

Wow guys. I had the chance to visit Lappland 4 years ago. I travelled to Kiruna, as well. I spent 5 whole days in the region, enjoyed dog sled riding, stayed at the ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi and also met some amazing people. And finally, on my last night, the sky went from black to green in a blink of an eye... And it has been the most overwhelming thing in my life so far. It's an amazing throwback and I love it!!! Thank you!

[@robnelsonfilms]

Thanks. It sure was a ton of fun. I love it up there.

[@Visualtreats69]

Wow this was a great video! i live in the Yukon, and want to take time lapse pictures of the Northern lights with my mini 2, any advice from anybody would be much appreciated. Cheers from Whitehorse, Yukon.

[@robnelsonfilms]

Yukon sounds amazing! Wish we could be up there now, there has been such great Aurora reports up north lately. I think most of the tips we have are probably the same as in the video, but the most important one would probably be to be ready. We kept a constant eye on the forecast and reports and all of a sudden things changed from practically no chance to great chance of seeing it and then it just went off! Good luck!

[@kyleboulanger7835]

Did you ever make a movie for editing in PS? Couldn't find it anywhere on your page...

[@AceAustin]

I saw them often growing up; but not since I moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1985. I am heading to Iceland in December and can't wait to experience them again. People talk much about the beautiful sight of them; few ever mention the sound - they make a beautiful noise - it reminds me of whales or glaciers. Thank you for your video. I found it helpful.

[@tunedsteadixup9196]

Funnily enough Vancouver gets them more often then you think. If you work yourself a bit into when and how they accure then you have good chances of seeing them at least once a month from Vancouver

[@lapincfl]

Im headed to Abisko in a few days! Just bought a Canon t6 and ive been scrambling taking lessons and watching countless youtube videos. And i got plenty of time at airports and on planes to mess with the camera as I'm visiting 6 southern European countries fist. Wish me luck!

[@robnelsonfilms]

Luis Armando Avalos awesome - rob

[@felyputri688]

Hi rob, is it same step for setting for video and photo of the aurora?

[@pwolfamv]

Experiencing the Total Eclipse last year was amazing. Looking forward to seeing the Northern Lights some day as well.

[@dynasty4125]

Have you seen them yet?

[@magnusgumundsson6392]

I live in the northern light band

[@hesayhi1]

I have the Canon Rebel T6i ,I want to photograph the northern lights, What kind of lens I must use?

[@yadwindersingh1067]

Any lens with wide aperture. 1.8 to 2.8 f stop. Prime lens are you best shot

[@Listondmp]

Happy birthday Jonas!!!! Great video!!!

[@SLMediaie]

Whats the app you used called?

[@PrimDiscovery]

It turns out that the circles on noction photos are obtained because of the UK filter?

[@robnelsonfilms]

Apparently... That's the research Mike did.

[@flavio4047]

Hi Rob and Jonas. I really appreciated your video and want to photograph the northern lights on my next trip to Norway. Right now I'm on a Nikon D3300 and I've got a 18-55 f 3.5 lens. Do you think it can work fine or do I need at least a f 2.8 lens? Thank you for your helpful advice.

[@robnelsonfilms]

Probably fine. The northern lights can actually be pretty bright. Smaller is always better though.

[@flavio4047]

52Things: Rob & Jonas Thank you!

[@udzejl562]

2:40 well its the same in Iceland :D

[@mister3LY]

hi, can a canon m50 get these shots? still trying to understand what that camera can do. thank you.

[@UntamedScience]

It wouldn't be able to show it on video but I think it should have no problem doing it as a photo. The exposures aren't super long.

[@NeilsIn]

UV filter.... fantastic, I would not have thought of it! Did you have any issues with battery life with the cold?

[@robnelsonfilms]

+Neil's in... a little, but my camera has a long battery life so it lasted a good 3 hours in the cold.

[@NeilsIn]

That's great! I guess my Sony would probably last 50 exposures without the grip in the cold. ;-)

[@robnelsonfilms]

I can add that the normal batteries used in 5D mkII worked surprisingly well despite the cold. But like you said, Sony mirrorless camera battery - not great... - Jonas

[@andrec1134]

What phone do you guys use???

[@robnelsonfilms]

Pixel2...

[@lynnfincham6839]

Thank you

[@patrmurray]

UV filter on a digital camera? Ha Ha

[@swissm8]

had the chance to see the aurora in iceland last year. it was amazing and the shots i have done were too.:D

[@zainabbebars4237]

👍💖💕❤

[@CapitanBastos]

Fun fact: Kristian Birkeland, a norwegian scientist and inventor, developed a theory in which energetic electrons were ejected from sunspots on the solar surface, directed to the Earth, and guided to the Earth's polar regions by the geomagnetic field where they produced the visible aurora. This is essentially the theory of the aurora today. Until last year his picture was on the NOK 200 bill, but last year it was swapped with a fish, the cod. go figure.

[@robnelsonfilms]

Hah. No kidding. Well, the cod is a pretty cool fish, so that would have been a touch decision for the bill-makers!

[@CapitanBastos]

52Things: Rob & Jonas I actually made a whole video on this, “I’m sorry Mr. Cod” because they announced this almost exactly 100 years after his death and the initial reason given in the news was that fishing “had been” an important part of Norway. The head of the national bank made more sense though, saying that he sees the bills as sort of calling cards, that a lot of tourists keep some bills as souvenirs. So what’s more likely to be more associated with Norway by most people, the cod or a scientist who died a century ago, a Viking ship or Kirsten Flagstad a world renowned soprano (almost a century ago as well).

[@robnelsonfilms]

... If I make it to Norway, I want an old bill!

[@CapitanBastos]

52Things: Rob & Jonas I think February is the last month of the old bills in circulation. But, as a consolation, Kristian Birkeland was also one of the founders of Yara and their newest, worlds first, fully autonomous electric container ship is named after him. Because of his foresight and way of thinking. That’s pretty cool.

[@prashantnz]

Thank you. Awesome.

[@marekdobrowolski5063]

Amazing!!! Definitely a must-do someday :)

[@Veptis]

I won't be able to do this with a video camera tho

[@robnelsonfilms]

Not unless you have a Sony A7s or a Canon 1DX MarkII. It's mostly about timelapses here...

[@Veptis]

52Things: Rob & Jonas nah, I got a Blackmagic and and can't do long exposure with it.

[@0FanMusic]

This is so cool

[@CapitanBastos]

Do you think I could do this with the Sony RX100V ?

[@robnelsonfilms]

Absolutely. I did a quick search and it says you can put it all in manual mode. Then instead of pushing the picture button, set it to take a photo like you would in a group photo!

[@CapitanBastos]

52Things: Rob & Jonas but for the timelapses I would need the camera app I think. They’re really expensive and also really tricky to pay for. I love the camera and I love Sony, but having to pay this much for apps when you’ve already paid quite handsomely for a compact camera... anyways, I’ll do my research and try it out next time I’m up north. Thanks

[@NBWDOUGHBOY]

Amazing!!

[@adelm2877]

Thank you

[@whatami3233]

I want to go on this land ;-;

[@IndustrialPlasticsNanaimo]

That was awesome!!!!!

[@kingofbratz3626]

Great video. Love the enthusiasm!

[@J90JAM]

Awesome.

[@ZionismIsRacism]

The content delivered throughout this video failed to meet the content promised at the beginning of the video.

[@H8Bully]

yeah it's bs enuf!