Photographing the Northern Lights can be one of the most exciting experiences for a landscape and night photographer. But when the Aurora suddenly starts moving and lighting up the sky, we often have very little time to make the right decisions.
Over the years, photographing the Aurora Borealis and leading my photography tours in the Arctic with GoToPhotoTour, I have seen the same mistakes repeated many times. Some come from a lack of experience, while others simply result from the difficulty of reacting quickly when the Aurora suddenly becomes more active.
Most of these mistakes are easy to avoid if you already know what to look for and how to react in the field.
In this article, I want to share the five most common mistakes I see when photographing the Northern Lights, explaining why they can compromise the final result and how to avoid them.
Because when the Northern Lights start dancing above you, the last thing you want is to waste those precious moments trying to figure out what is not working on your camera.
1. Using a Lens That Is Too Narrow and Not Bright Enough
One of the mistakes I see most often, especially among photographers who are new to Northern Lights Photography, is using a lens with too long a focal length and therefore too narrow a field of view.
When I talk about a lens being “too narrow,” I am mainly referring to focal lengths such as 24, 35 or 50mm. These can become limiting when we want to include both an interesting landscape and a large portion of the sky in the same photograph.
The Aurora Borealis can develop rapidly, stretch across a large part of the sky and change shape within seconds. With a longer focal length, we may not be able to fit the entire structure of the Aurora into the frame, losing part of the spectacle unfolding above us.
But this is not only a matter of composition. When photographing the Aurora, we are almost always working in extremely low-light conditions and often need to use very short shutter speeds to capture its fastest movements correctly.
For this reason, in addition to having a sufficiently wide focal length, it is important to use a very bright lens. A maximum aperture of f/4, for example, allows us to collect much less light than an f/1.8 lens. Under the same conditions, this means we will have to compensate by increasing the ISO or lengthening the exposure time — two solutions that can become problematic when the Aurora is moving quickly.
For Northern Lights Photography, I therefore prefer to use a very bright wide-angle lens, ideally a 14mm or 16mm with an f/1.8 aperture.
A lens like this allows us to include a very large portion of both the sky and the landscape while also collecting a great deal of light. This becomes particularly important when the Aurora is highly active and moving quickly.
Of course, this does not mean that a 24mm or 35mm lens is unusable. They can be very interesting for tighter compositions or for isolating particular elements of the landscape. But if I had to choose just one lens for a night dedicated to photographing the Northern Lights, I would definitely choose a very bright wide-angle lens.
A lens should not simply allow us to photograph the Aurora. It should allow us to create a composition, incorporating the sky intise Your ISO
Another mistake I have seen countless times during my photography tours is being afraid to use high ISO settings.
2. Being Afraid to Raise Your ISO
Another mistake I have seen countless times during my photography tours is being afraid to use high ISO settings.
I often see participants photographing in extremely low-light conditions — both when photographing the Northern Lights and when shooting the Milky Way — trying to keep their ISO relatively low because they are afraid of introducing too much digital noise into the image.
The problem is that, especially when photographing the Aurora, failing to raise the ISO enough can be much more damaging than using a high ISO.
When photographing the Milky Way, we can use different techniques to reduce digital noise. For example, we can capture multiple frames of the same scene and combine them during post-processing to produce a cleaner final image.
In certain situations, we can also use an astrotracker, which compensates for the Earth’s rotation and allows us to use much longer exposures. This lets us collect more light while keeping the ISO lower and therefore reducing digital noise.
With the Aurora Borealis, however, the situation is completely different.
The Aurora is constantly moving, and when its speed increases, we need to use sufficiently short shutter speeds to preserve its structure and shapes.
We cannot simply lengthen the exposure to collect more light, because we risk turning the Aurora into a completely indistinct green mass, losing the structure and forms that make the photograph so spectacular.
With a dynamic Aurora, we may need to work with shutter speeds around one or two seconds, and when the activity increases even further, we may need to go shorter.
This is why we cannot rely on the same techniques we use to photograph the Milky Way.
When the Aurora is moving quickly, we need to capture it in a single frame. We cannot use an astrotracker to dramatically lengthen the exposure, because the movement of the lights would be recorded as an indistinct streak. Likewise, we cannot simply capture numerous identical frames and combine them later to eliminate noise, because the Aurora continuously changes shape and position in the sky. For this reason, the quality of the individual file becomes even more important.
If we want to use very short shutter speeds in extremely low-light conditions, the ISO has to increase. This is where having a camera with a sensor that handles high ISO well, without introducing excessive digital noise, becomes essential.
Personally, I consider it very important to be able to use my camera at ISO 8000 while maintaining good file quality. In some situations, of course, we can work at lower ISO settings, but when the Aurora is moving quickly, being able to push the ISO to 8000 without excessively compromising image quality can make a significant difference.
In the field, I would much rather raise the ISO and obtain a file with a little more digital noise than try to keep the ISO low and end up with a completely underexposed photograph.
With lower ISO settings, the result can be an underexposed image, with an almost completely black sky and very little information in the darkest areas.
And the problem does not disappear during post-processing.
When we later try to recover a heavily underexposed photograph by significantly increasing exposure, shadows and blacks, we inevitably make the noise in the file much more visible. Digital and chromatic noise can appear, together with an overall loss of quality and detail.
Paradoxically, we can therefore end up with a much more degraded file than we would have obtained by using a higher ISO directly in camera.
Today, however, there are several techniques and software solutions that are very effective at reducing digital noise during editing. We can therefore work with a correctly exposed file and reduce the noise before beginning the actual processing of the photograph.
For this reason, I always prefer to have a correctly exposed file with more digital noise caused by a high ISO rather than a seemingly clean file that is completely underexposed.
Of course, this does not mean using extremely high ISO settings without considering the situation. The goal is to find the right balance between ISO, aperture and shutter speed, depending on the speed and intensity of the Northern Lights.
This is why I consider two characteristics particularly important when preparing your gear for photographing the Aurora: a very bright lens, ideally with an f/1.8 aperture, and a sensor capable of performing well at least around ISO 6400.
The combination of these two elements allows us to collect as much light as possible while still using sufficiently short shutter speeds to capture the structure of the Aurora in a single frame.
The most difficult situation occurs especially during the New Moon, when the sky is completely dark and we are faced with a very intense and fast-moving Aurora Borealis. In these conditions, we may be forced to use extremely short shutter speeds to freeze its structure.
This is precisely when an f/1.8 lens and a sensor capable of performing well at ISO 8000 can make an enormous difference.
So, if you are preparing for a trip dedicated to Northern Lights Photography, remember that you should not be afraid of high ISO settings. It is much more important to achieve a correct exposure than to have a completely underexposed photograph with little digital noise.
A slightly noisier image that is correctly exposed and preserves the beautiful structure of the Aurora will almost always be preferable to a seemingly clean file that is completely underexposed and lacks detail.
If you want to learn more about how to set your camera for the Northern Lights depending on the speed and intensity of the Aurora, I have also prepared
In this step-by-step guide, I explain how to adjust shutter speed, ISO and aperture according to the conditions we encounter in the field, including a slow or very fast Aurora, the presence or absence of the Moon, and different levels of Northern Lights intensity.
There is no single setting that works for every situation. The key is learning how to adapt your settings to what is actually happening in the sky.
3. Using Autofocus
Another very common mistake, especially among photographers who are new to night photography, is using autofocus.
When photographing the Northern Lights, we work in extremely low-light conditions and all the main camera settings need to be controlled manually, including focus.
During my photography tours, I have seen countless participants who are still using autofocus, or who simply forget to switch to manual focus before they start shooting.
The problem is that when it is time to take the photograph, the camera will try to find something to focus on automatically. In the darkness, especially when photographing a night landscape, it may not be able to find a sufficiently bright point of contrast. The lens may then hunt back and forth without finding focus or, in some cases, we may simply take the photograph with completely incorrect focus. The result can be a completely blurred photograph, precisely when the Northern Lights are at their best.
In my experience, focusing in low-light conditions remains one of the most challenging aspects of night photography. It is a problem I have seen repeated countless times while teaching photography to clients during my tours.
The good news is that once you learn the correct technique, the problem is relatively easy to solve.
Before we begin, there is one important tip: initially set the focus ring to infinity.
This may seem obvious, but in the field it can save you a great deal of time.
For example, the lens may still be focused at one or two metres. If you then point the camera towards a star or a very distant light source, the image will be so out of focus that you may not even be able to understand where your reference point is.
You could waste several minutes simply trying to locate a star or light source, precisely while the Northern Lights could be starting to intensify.
By setting the focus to infinity before looking for your reference point, you will already be very close to the correct position and should be able to see the distant star or light source clearly enough through the viewfinder or camera display.
At that point, only small adjustments of the focus ring, to the left or right, should be necessary until the light or star changes from a small blurred spot into a perfectly sharp point.
Once you have reached maximum sharpness, you have achieved the correct focus and you should not touch the focus ring again.
There are two techniques you can use: a bright star when the sky is dark enough and the stars are clearly visible, or a distant light source when light pollution or clouds make it difficult to use a star as a reference.
Focusing on a Bright Star
The first method, and the one I prefer when conditions allow, is to use a bright star.
If we are under a sufficiently dark sky and the stars are clearly visible, we can simply point the camera towards one of the brightest stars in the sky.
Then switch to manual focus and slowly turn the focus ring until the star, which initially appears as a small blurred spot, becomes as sharp and well-defined as possible.
Once you have reached maximum sharpness, do not touch the focus ring again.
You can now simply recompose the image, point the camera back towards the landscape you want to photograph and calmly work on your composition. The focus will remain manually set to the correct point, allowing you to photograph the sky while keeping the stars and the Aurora Borealis sharp.
Focusing on a Distant Light Source
But what can you do when the stars are not clearly visible?
You may find yourself in an area with strong light pollution or under a partially cloudy sky. In these conditions, it can be difficult to find a star bright enough to use as a reference.
In this case, we can use a second, very simple technique: a distant light source.
Look for a house, streetlight, lighthouse or another light source located at least 200 metres (about 650 feet) from your position.
With a wide-angle lens, a bright subject at this distance is far enough away to be considered, for focusing purposes, practically at infinity.
So, if you can focus correctly on that distant light source, the sky and stars will also be correctly focused.
Again, the procedure is very simple: point the camera towards the light source, switch to manual focus and slowly turn the focus ring until the light, which initially appears as a blurred spot, becomes a small, sharp and well-defined point.
Once you have reached maximum sharpness, do not touch the focus ring again.
You can then point the camera back towards the location you have chosen, recompose the scene and start working on your composition without worrying about focus anymore.
This technique is particularly useful when you cannot see the stars clearly, because it still gives you a precise reference point on which to set your focus.
So remember these two options:
Stars clearly visible: use a bright star as your reference and manually focus until it becomes a perfectly sharp point.
Stars barely visible or cloudy sky: find a light source at least 200 metres (about 650 feet) away and use it as your focusing reference.
It is a small operation that takes only a few minutes, but it can make the difference between a perfectly sharp Northern Lights photograph and a completely unusable image.
And most importantly, do not wait for the Aurora to start moving before dealing with focus.
Your focus should already be ready before the show begins.
4. Using a Shutter Speed That Is Too Slow
Another mistake I see very often in Northern Lights Photography is using a shutter speed that is too slow for the speed at which the Aurora is moving.
Over the years, I have seen countless photographs of the Aurora Borealis where the landscape and stars are perfectly focused, while the Aurora appears as a simple bright blob or even looks as though it is out of focus.
In reality, in most cases, the Aurora is not out of focus at all. The problem is its movement during the exposure.
To understand what happens, consider a simple example. Imagine photographing a person running with a shutter speed of one second. During that second, the runner continues to move, and the camera records all of that movement within the same frame. The result will be a dragged figure, almost like a streak, rather than a perfectly defined person.
Exactly the same thing happens with the Aurora Borealis.
If the Aurora is moving quickly and we use an exposure that is too long, its structure will continue moving across the sky during the exposure. The camera will therefore record all the different positions the Aurora has taken during that time, turning it into a sort of streak or bright blur.
The final result may be far less pleasing from a photographic point of view.
First of all, we lose the shape and structure of the Northern Lights, which can otherwise become one of the most spectacular elements of the composition.
The Aurora can also appear blurred, creating the impression that the entire sky is not properly focused, even when the camera’s focus is completely correct.
For this reason, we need to learn to adapt our shutter speed to the speed of the Aurora.
There is therefore no single shutter speed that is correct for every situation.
When the Aurora is very slow and appears towards the north as a faint and relatively static arc, we can use longer exposures, sometimes around 10 seconds.
When the activity increases and the Aurora starts moving rapidly and dancing across the sky, we need to progressively shorten the shutter speed.
With a very fast-moving Aurora, we may need to use shutter speeds of less than one second to freeze its structure and record its shapes as precisely as possible.
It is therefore essential to learn to observe the Aurora and react quickly to its changes.
If we see the forms beginning to move faster, we need to be ready to immediately reduce the shutter speed and increase the ISO. Conversely, when the Aurora slows down and becomes more static, we can lengthen the exposure again and lower the ISO.
This is one of the aspects that makes Northern Lights Photography so different from normal night photography: the settings cannot necessarily remain the same throughout the entire session.
The Aurora can change speed and intensity within just a few seconds, and we need to be ready to adjust our camera settings accordingly.
Remember that an Aurora Borealis that is perfectly in focus does not necessarily mean a sharp photograph of the Aurora. If the shutter speed is too slow for its movement, the movement itself will create what we might incorrectly interpret as blur.
The goal is to continuously find the right balance between shutter speed, Aurora speed, ISO and aperture, allowing us to capture not only the light of the Aurora, but also its shape, structure and movement across the sky.
5. Using the Wrong White Balance
The final mistake I want to address is white balance.
Setting the white balance correctly is very important for achieving the right tones and colours in the Aurora Borealis and the sky, as well as representing the landscape we are photographing as naturally as possible.
At this point, you might be thinking: “But we can easily change white balance during post-processing. Why should I worry about it while shooting?”
That is true, but not completely.
It is certainly possible to change the white balance during editing, but setting it correctly while shooting can help the sensor record the colours in the scene in the best possible way.
If, on the other hand, we photograph with a completely incorrect white balance, we may end up with a file in which certain tones are represented very differently from how they should be. And if some colour information is not actually present in the file, we cannot simply create it from nothing during post-processing. For this reason, even though we shoot in RAW and have a great deal of freedom during editing, this does not mean that white balance at the time of capture is completely irrelevant.
There is also another, slightly more technical aspect related to the sensor’s dynamic range.
This is certainly a more complex subject, and I do not want to turn this article into a technical discussion, but over the years I have carried out several personal tests on this particular aspect.
In particular, I compared two identical sensors, using two identical lenses and the same shooting data, changing only the white balance.
In my tests, I obtained a difference in dynamic-range performance: the file shot with one particular white balance showed better handling of shadows and highlights than the file obtained with a completely incorrect white balance.
This means that, at least in the tests I personally carried out, white balance can have an influence, even if minimal, on the amount of information we are able to preserve in different areas of the image.
But returning to the practical side of Aurora Borealis Photography, what is the correct white balance to use?
As a starting point, I generally recommend setting the white balance manually to around 3,500 K.
This is an average value that works very well in many situations and provides a fairly balanced starting point for the colours of both the Aurora Borealis and the landscape.
The important thing is not to leave white balance on Auto during a night session, especially when photographing the Aurora.
With Auto White Balance, the camera may change the white balance from one frame to another depending on what we are photographing and the intensity of the Northern Lights. This can make it much more difficult to maintain consistent colours between different photographs.
By setting it manually, we always start from the same value and can deliberately adjust it according to the scene.
3,500 K is therefore an excellent starting point, but it should not be considered a fixed value for every situation.
White balance can change significantly depending on several factors:
- The type of landscape: a snowy landscape reflects much more light than an autumn or rocky landscape and can significantly affect the perception of colour.
- The presence of the Moon: moonlight can make the landscape, especially when covered in snow, appear much colder and more blue.
- The season: the colours and brightness of the landscape change completely between autumn and winter, also affecting the colour rendering of the image.
- The camera sensor: different sensors can have slightly different colour rendering, making the Aurora Borealis appear cooler, warmer or more inclined towards certain tones.
A very common example is a snowy landscape with the Moon in the sky.
Snow reflects a great deal of moonlight and, combined with the cool light of the night, can make the photograph extremely cold and blue. In this case, we can try warming the white balance, bringing it towards 4,000 K, for example.
Conversely, during autumn, when the landscape is darker and we may be faced with a very intense, strongly green Aurora Borealis, the photograph can appear much warmer overall.
In this situation, we can try cooling the white balance, perhaps bringing it down towards 3,000 K.
As you can see, there is no magic number that works for every photograph. We need to be able to adapt the white balance to the scene in front of us.
The sensor we use can also slightly influence the final result. For example, in my experience, some Sony sensors tend to produce files that can appear cooler, with the Aurora Borealis tending more towards bluish tones, while some Canon sensors can produce an overall warmer rendering.
This means that the ideal Kelvin value can also vary slightly depending on the camera we are using.
My advice is therefore very simple: always set the white balance manually, starting at around 3,500 K and using this as your reference point.
From there, observe the scene and adjust the white balance according to the landscape, the presence of the Moon, the season, the intensity of the Aurora Borealis and, of course, the colour rendering of your sensor.
The goal is not to find a technically “perfect” value, but to achieve a balanced colour rendering already in camera, representing as faithfully as possible what we are seeing in front of us.
And above all, remember that during a night of Northern Lights Photography, conditions can change quickly. So do not be afraid to adjust the white balance if the conditions of the scene change.
3,500 K is an excellent starting point. But learning how to adapt it to the scene is what will allow you to achieve much more natural colours and Northern Lights photographs that are more faithful to what you actually experienced in the field.
Conclusion
Photographing the Northern Lights means being ready to react quickly to what is happening in the sky.
Once the Aurora starts moving, there is no time to figure out why a photograph is blurred, why the Aurora looks like a blob or why the file is completely underexposed. Focus, camera settings, equipment and composition all need to be ready before the show begins.
These five mistakes are among the ones I see most frequently during my photography tours in the Arctic, but they are also among the easiest to avoid with a little preparation and field experience.
If you are planning a trip to photograph the Aurora Borealis, my advice is to arrive prepared. Knowing your equipment and knowing how to react to changes in the Aurora can make the difference between a photograph that is simply a memory of your trip and one you can truly be proud of.
And if you want to experience the magical Arctic nights for yourself and put these techniques into practice in the field, you can discover our
with GoToPhotoTour, where we will guide you step by step through finding the Aurora, composing your images and photographing the Northern Lights.
Because when the Northern Lights finally start dancing above us, the only thing we should have to do is photograph them and enjoy the show.
