Composition and Shooting Tips For Aurora Photography

Just like other types of photography, your final images will greatly benefit from you spending a little time beforehand actually planning out your composition. This pre-visualization during the day will allow you to identify where you want to come back to at night. 

When you are out scouting, leave a ribbon on bushes and trees, or place identification markers on the ground. You should also mark the location with your GPS on your phone. This will get you right back to that position. 

If you set up your composition beforehand, it helps you pre-visualize the image in the dark – Do I want to stand high? Do I want to be closer to the ground? Scouting will answer these important composition decisions. 

One key composition idea for a compelling aurora photograph is the foreground. Capturing only the sky usually will leave you wanting a better photograph. Like any good picture, a strong foreground is key. Find something intriguing to anchor the image. – a building, a river, a person, even a reflection. Each can add an interesting element. So pay attention to your foregrounds when you are there during the day, not just the sky.

Location: South Shore of Iceland near Vik

Camera Gear: Nikon D3, Sigma 20mm ƒ/1.8

Camera Settings: Aperture of ƒ/2.8, Shutter speed of 8 seconds, ISO1600

Picture Discussion: The sharpness of the bands would not be evident if I would have taken a photo that lasted longer. One of the things that attracted me to this image was how evident the curl was to the naked eye.

I waited until the aurora band was low enough on the horizon so that the photographer was visible inside the aurora band.

This was not a new moon. It was taken mid-month. The moon illuminated the sky. I had to darken the blues, lower the exposure in the foreground shadows, and increase the blacks to get a darker-looking image.

 

Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Camera Gear: Nikon D850,  Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8

Camera Settings: Aperture of ƒ/2.8, Shutter speed of 3 seconds, ISO2000

Picture Discussion: The sharpness of the bands would not be evident if I would have taken a photo that lasted longer. One of the things that attracted me to this image was how evident the curl was to the naked eye as it came over the tree line on the other side of the pond. 

I took two images and blended them together in post-processing. 

In the image I took of the sky I  took the shutter speed down to 3 seconds and increased the ISO to 2000. By doing that I defined the curl and made the sensor more sensitive to light. This captured the magenta between the green curls. 

I took a second image. That image was taken with the following settings. An aperture of ƒ/2.8, Shutter speed of 10 seconds, ISO1600. 

I then blended the two photos in photoshop so I had a cleaner foreground that was exposed to bring out the details. 

This photo was taken right before the new moon. There was no ambient light because the minimal moon sliver had already gone behind the hills. 

I often alter between landscapes and portrait format when photographing the northern lights. The aurora often lends itself to this format of a photo. 

 

Location: Nunavut, Canada

Camera Gear: Nikon D850,  Nikon 20mm ƒ/1.8

Camera Settings: Aperture of ƒ/2.0, Shutter speed of 12 seconds, ISO1250

Picture Discussion: I allowed the image to curl in the sky for longer than I usually do. It softened the aurora bands but allowed it to turn through more of the sky. It also allowed the colors to burn into the image. The magenta started to come through, and the bands of the aurora were exposed throughout the entire image. 

I blended two images together to create this image (Reflection and Sky). The sky was a 12-second exposure. The reflection photo was a 20-second exposure. That brought out the pebbles in the foreground. It created a nice anchoring element.