How to Photograph the NORTHERN LIGHTS | Part 2: Camera Gear and Settings

Рет қаралды 76,074

Күн бұрын

How to photograph the Aurora Borealis. In part 1 of this series I walked you through how to find and see the northern lights, but what good is simply seeing them if you don't go home with an amazing photograph to remember the experience by? In this video I walk you through all the gear and settings you'll need to capture the photo of a lifetime.
PART 1 HERE: • How to Photograph the ...
Join me in the field! www.InTheWildWorkshops.com
Timelapse editing software: lrtimelapse.com?ap_id=NateintheWild
Used to Film This Episiode:
Cameras:
Sony A1 - geni.us/A1Sony
Sony a7S III - geni.us/Glb1
The BEST Tripod:
bit.ly/3bAqYdP
Lenses:
Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM - bhpho.to/3xzj6mH
Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM II - bhpho.to/3xOwP9W
Sony 20mm f/1.8 GM -bhpho.to/3EjqbLW

Пікірлер: 99

@Nateinthewild Жыл бұрын

Have you ever seen the northern lights?

@elderberry2355 Жыл бұрын

Yes just at the beginning of february this year when we visited the Lofoten Islands! Awesome video, thank you!

@beachhouse1967 Жыл бұрын

28 more days and we are off to Tromso from Australia. Fingers crossed we can see them before she has gone. Thanks for this video. Helped me out

@Nateinthewild Жыл бұрын

@@beachhouse1967 im so sorry to say, but I doubt it’ll be getting dark enough in Tromsø to see them by the time you arrive. Their last day of nighttime is March 27

@maxphunn6189 Жыл бұрын

Yes! In fact we just had an amazing display in the wee hours of Feb 27 2023, here in Ontario Canada. Had two cameras shooting time lapses most of the night.

@arvestrandsphotography Жыл бұрын

I think this year is all time high for Northern lights here in the more high southern parts of sweden. might cross the border and visit some time when we moved up north

@ClarkVistan Ай бұрын

Among all the Northern Lights tutorials I've seen, yours is the most detailed and easy to follow. I wish I could attend your class in person. There's a forecast for the Aurora here in New Brunswick, Canada, tonight, so this video is perfect for us enthusiasts to learn how to prepare and capture it. Thanks for sharing this excellent video, and more power to you! 🙌

@somerandompersonha8604 Ай бұрын

Lol im doing my research too. Hoping we can see them one last time tonight! I was unprepared last night but still got some shots. I was shaking cause of how cold i was even though its summer.

@christianzedler185 8 ай бұрын

Last but not least: when you get home, take the battery and memory card out of the camera outside in the cold. Leave your camera in your bag and don't unpack it inside! Otherwise your lenses will be full of condensation and that's it for photography for the rest of your vacation ...

@stockholmmetrotrains3612 7 күн бұрын

So if I leave my camera in the bag outside and take the memory card and battery out, where should I unpack my camera then if I can’t unpack it inside?

@kristincampbell1889 Жыл бұрын

Very informative Nate! I really appreciate the specific recommendations on white balance, camera settings, etc. I can only imagine how much detailed information someone could gain from your workshops. Looking forward to more of your videos (more wildlife tips please!)

@etc-and-more Жыл бұрын

I'm leaving for Norway in a couple of days and so happy that I was able to stumble upon your channel. I picked up a Sony 14/1.8 GM today based upon your videos. Lots of great content.

@PeterSchurte Жыл бұрын

prime lenses are always a good choice. I also work with Sony G Master 24mm f1.4 and 14mm f1.8 for pictures and videos from the northern lights.

@OGAINTNAS 5 ай бұрын

I'm leaving for Icelan in December, and this tutorial has been very instrumental to choose the best gear in terms of coat/benefits. Really appreciate!

@JC-tw5ln 8 ай бұрын

These are the 2 most well done photography videos on KZbin! Thank you!!

@AlfonsoSprohnle Жыл бұрын

This is the best video I’ve seen about shooting the northern lights. Thank you so much

@andersmenge Жыл бұрын

Hope you had a good time in Norway! Remember to say hi at the Radisson Blu Airport next time 😅 Love the video! Always such a learning-experience watching your videos, Nate.

@Someonece 7 ай бұрын

This is actually an exceptional video! Most tutorials are really bloated and will still gloss over very important details. Thank you!

@MikeArcher_HauntedSoldier 4 ай бұрын

I wish I would’ve seen this sooner or before Friday night here in WA state. Got some great still images of the northern lights but I wanted to do a video or time lapse and I’m still a rookie photographer since I bought my first camera last October. But I soak up information like a sponge and this video and the first one were beyond helpful. Thank you!!

@DigiDriftZone 7 ай бұрын

The best guide I've seen on this, thank you! - We are in Iceland this Sat (24th Feb) and this has been invaluable. A couple of questions though: 1. How do you rate the Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 for this vs the Sony 14mm and 20mm? 2. I noticed you've filmed the video part on the A7S III. I only have the Sony ZV-E1 (same sensor as A7S III), in general, is there any advantage to using such a beast of a low light camera for this? - or would you always opt for a higher megapixel full frame like an A7R V or your A1? 3. If shooting from one of those northern lights cruises, going from ISO3200 up to ISO25600 is 3 stops (just 1 stop above the native ISO12800). Going from 2.5s to 1/4s to get free hold is also 3 stops, so it should yield similar results?

@KorbenDenver Жыл бұрын

I hope you guys had a great trip! Thanks for sharing these sweet tips!

@danwhitton7966 Ай бұрын

Awesome tutorial. Norway sounds like an awesome trip! Would love to join

@jakemcavoy2554 10 ай бұрын

VERY helpful!! Gorgeous light indeed!

@galesaunders4120 8 ай бұрын

I go to Finland in a few days, sadly i don't have the budget for a full frame camera so I am hoping that what I have will capture something worthy. Great advice and hope to remember the great tips you have given.

@ofthenearfuture Жыл бұрын

This was an awesome video and an equally informative Part 2, thanks for the time and effort!

@alisonandguywildlifephotograph 7 ай бұрын

Great video…we went to Iceland and Norway to try to get them with good predictions…. Both times it clouded over… very hit and miss .. but watching your videos makes me want to have another go .. well done

@edmondluilumea4371 Ай бұрын

Exceptionally great video! I learned a lot and subscribed. I will be heading to Iceland next month (mid Sep 2024) and the auroras are supposed to be good. I plan to take Sony A7C II and pair it with 20mm f1.8. Would that be a good setup for taking auroras? And if yes, what camera settings do you recommend for still photos and for time lapse? Thank you so much!!

@PatouLauwers 4 ай бұрын

Very helpful video. Thank you!

@JauneMacReady 9 ай бұрын

Brilliant. I'm just suckering a GoPro to the inside of a window in the house at the moment. This is something to strive toward. Thank you. Liked and subscribed.

@rohintonpaul297 Жыл бұрын

Really informative about the white balance and adobe RGB settings.. thanks a lot.. will have to try them when I am in the Arctic again 💚

@alekszaborski 9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much.. Just took A74. Will start "hunting" using your suggestions

@scottmcnally Жыл бұрын

Nice video. The music you picked must be aurora music, as I picked the same song for an aurora video I made from a night in February. Ha!

@peterbarnes955 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the excellent tips Nate, I'll put your advice into practice next month when on a cruise to East Greenland Scoresby Sund

@adamliew498 Жыл бұрын

Very useful - heading to Sweden & Norway in Oct 23!

@danielforster719 Жыл бұрын

Nice work on this, very helpful!

@tintin69rr Ай бұрын

Awesome can’t wait going on a northern lights cruise right to the top of Norway 🇳🇴 in January with a overnight stay in Alta can’t wait to see them again after have it a awesome show a few months back in uk 🇬🇧 started getting loads of merino wool base layers and Icelandic wool sweaters should be nice n toasty I’ve got the canon ef 16-35 f 2.8 L mk 2 but I’m also tempted with getting something like sigma art 20 mm f 1.4 as apart from the overnight stay in Alta the rest of the nights well be moving on the ship so long exposures are going to be a no no really so will have to experiment shorter shutter higher iso and wid open

@AstroRoad Жыл бұрын

Another great video. For time lapse I expect an ISO invariant camera would be a good base given how much variance there can be in luminance? Whats your general approach for exposure to give balance to not underexpose too heavily while at the same time allowing enough latitude so the highlights don't blow out in your time lapse sequence in the event the aurora really kicks off?

@JakeDaly Жыл бұрын

Great 2-parter Nate... thanks!

@e.baaijens9460 2 ай бұрын

I still cant believe it, but I won the Hasselblad masters 2023, I may choose a camera and 2 lenses!! Ill go for the XCD 100C (best hasselblad cam and on of the sharpest possible) and a 25mm f2.5, is it possible to get into astro with that setup? 👀 Thanks alot!

@erinyoung2405 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video, great tips! I have a quick question, I am going to Iceland on 12/1/23 and I have heard some people say to use kalvin settings, but there are a few that say to just set the white balance to "daylight - sun" setting. Can you tell me which one gives the better color for the Norther Lights? I have a Nikon D4S, and using a Nikon 55mm, F1.4 lens. I am used to sports photography; gymnastics and wrestling are what my kids did. So I am trying to learn all that I can about photographing the Norther Lights before our trip. Thank you!!!

@Nateinthewild 10 ай бұрын

I cover white balance at around 6:20 in this. “Daylight” is just a general kelvin setting that’s pre-programmed into your camera, so it’ll accomplish the same thing, but setting the kelvin manually will be a more accurate and custom setting.

@vladimirmachek2524 Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. Very informative video ❤

@icefishing6592 11 ай бұрын

So beautiful. Well done

@alma175w Жыл бұрын

Breathtaking images - really enjoyed the time lapse at the end! Usually I shoot on daylight white-balance and then cool it off in post, I’m using either an a7siii or a7iv, do you think that would muddy up the aurora too much?

@Nateinthewild Жыл бұрын

If you’re shooting raw you can correct in post but it’s always going to be better to get it right in-camera. Setting a manual white balance is easy on those two cameras, I’d recommend doing that, but if you’d prefer a preset then the “fluorescent” setting will be your best bet

@alma175w Жыл бұрын

@@Nateinthewild Hoping we get some clear skies soon, I’ll definitely take the advice and dial in white balance ahead of time. I also think I need to experiment shooting the a7siii at ISO 12,800 instead of ISO 6,400. Thank you again for the input!

@Trevsci1 Жыл бұрын

Hey Nate great video thanks for this, do you recommend shooting in silent mode or use the shutter?

@Nateinthewild Жыл бұрын

I don’t think it’ll matter much for the aurora, so whichever you prefer will be fine!

@GigiOftebro 10 ай бұрын

Really helpful - thank you! What setting would you use for the northern light displays that are more red/pink in colour?

@ChancesAU Ай бұрын

Just checking out your video as we have a storm incoming right now 😎 ... I have the same camera and I notice you using iso 3200ish. With the A1 would it not be better to shoot at ISO 500 which I think is the 2nd native ISO setting? Because of the ISO invariance with the sensor ? Im still tinkering at the moment with it but find that ISO 500 lets me stretch out the milkyway great in post. Anyway great video, I really liked the idea about keeping the batteries in your jacket! Take care mate :)

@Nateinthewild Ай бұрын

I use ISO 3200 because I want to prioritize a shorter shutter speed since the aurora moves so fast. The A1 has magnificent low light performance so ISO 3200 is not so high as to decrease image quality, but ISO 500 will require a shutter speed of 6-10s which in my experience will make for a very subpar image of the northern lights.

@ChancesAU Ай бұрын

@@Nateinthewild Sounds good, haven't taken the 20mm out to a dark site yet so ill keep that in mind! Thanks for the reply 🤙

@maxphunn6189 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Nate, for the great video. I learned a few things, and just changed a few settings in a custom mode and will try soon. I wonder though, do you ever use in camera noise reduction? Or do you clean up any noise in Post?

@Nateinthewild Жыл бұрын

I always clean up noise in post. You can shoot a black reference frame if you'd like to expedite the process (this is essentially what in-camera noise reduction does), but especially for timelapses I don't like to have that mandatory 5s pause after each image.

@linlinsun5626 9 ай бұрын

@@Nateinthewild so Nate ,the best timelapses is 6s pause after each image?

@Nateinthewild 9 ай бұрын

@@linlinsun5626 I would do no more than 3s

@MikeKline 4 ай бұрын

Great tips

@paulomateus3083 10 ай бұрын

Great one thanks! with the timer at 2 secs it's good to avoid shake, I actually use at 10 secs, but one question do you use the mechanical or electronic shutter? Is just that the mechanical will probably still introduce some shake once it's triggered even by the timer, thanks

@organicsoulsoaps7211 Жыл бұрын

Hi. Which location in Iceland did you shoot this? The Aurora on the mountains look amazing.

@LexaLianne 7 ай бұрын

I'm going to Alaska next month to see the auroras. I'm not a photographer in any sense but I like taking photos of the moon/night sky and plan to get some videos and photos of the auroras. I've done so much research on cameras but have no clue what camera to get that's around $500. Do you have any recommendations?

@mandyboyd64 8 ай бұрын

Hi I’m going to Finland next month. I am taking my Canon EOS R6 mk.II with sigma 14mm F1.8 lens will this do the job for northern lights stills and video? As you might have guessed, at the gear and no idea. Thanks

@Nateinthewild 8 ай бұрын

That's a perfect combo!

@tim3886 6 ай бұрын

Hey Nate, thank you so much for this great tutorial - super helpful! I do have a question about flickering in my aurora timelapse. I shoot on a sony a7iii with the sony 14mm f1.8 lens and I get heavy flickering that I can't even remove in post. My settings are in manual: f1.8, 1 - 3 sec (depending on the speed of the aurora), ISO somewhere between 1500 and 4000, WB around 3700. I would set the interval to the same speed as my shutter speed to have no delay between pictures. Any idea what can cause the flickering? Do you have to have a delay between the pictures taken? Thank you so much

@MiaPretorius-h5m 2 ай бұрын

WOW!!!

@rebegre 4 ай бұрын

Great tips!

@Darkasknightfall 9 ай бұрын

I have a Nikon z5 so would the settings be the same for my camera?

@Nateinthewild 9 ай бұрын

They would be, yep!

@jpdebhevga 5 ай бұрын

Will I be able to make some good images using a Canon 10-18 F4 ?

@RynaxAlien 4 ай бұрын

I saw on Saturday night aurora in Lithuania for the first time in my life and my Sony A7s batteries were dicharged :( Any time soon solar storm repeating?

@ravimalik283 4 ай бұрын

Pretty good!

@ggauravaryal Жыл бұрын

What does circular polarizer do to the auroras?

@albertthompson9915 10 ай бұрын

Great video,thanks,new subscriber here.

@NereaWolfit 11 ай бұрын

is an iphone 14 pro max good to take these pictures?? if yes, tell me the settings please. Thanks in advance

@paobphotos5323 Жыл бұрын

I have a Nikon D7500. Lenses that I have are the 50mm 1:1.8, an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6, a Sigma 18-300mm 1:3.5-6.3 and a 70-300mm 1:4.5-6.3. No matter what I do, I just cannot get the lights. I am in Michigan and I see posts everywhere around me but I just cannot get the settings right no matter what I do.......They either turn out black or wayyyyyy to bright (like daylight almost). I have never seen the lights but I keep trying......can someone guide me a bit? Which lens, what to focus on (sky or trees)? I typically shoot wildlife and am pretty darn good at that but these lights....they are driving me crazy! Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

@AuroraNowApp 11 ай бұрын

Well now I need to go spend some money, thanks.. :P No but seriously, awesome video! 👍

@JPMNRB 3 ай бұрын

Hello I am considering buying a Sony A7Riii on a good deal, should I get the A7S instead?

@Nateinthewild 3 ай бұрын

Nope! A7R III is my favorite camera of all time

@JPMNRB 3 ай бұрын

@@Nateinthewild Thank you, I saw this slightly late I went for the Sony A7R IV which arrives next week. Planning now on the Lens which are pricey. Thank you

@Nateinthewild 3 ай бұрын

@@JPMNRB If your goal is night sky photography then you should get the 20mm f/1.8 :)

@JPMNRB 2 ай бұрын

Not sure if you might see this but 20 mm or Sony 14 mm f1.8 or Sigma 14 mm f1.4? Second question, in the S&Q settings, Rec frames at 24 and frame rate at 60fps? Thank you.

@arvestrandsphotography Жыл бұрын

Nice well explained, just two things if you shoot raw the white balance is't important raw is great for testingout colors , and the second thing i can see you have the screen on , it is good not to, some cameras drain battery faster when it's cold so powersaving ia super important. Just my two bonus tips :)

@TheCrazyStudent 3 ай бұрын

Thanks youtube for covering up the last 20 seconds of the video with other video suggestions so that I won't be able to fully enjoy the aurora footage at the end.