SHOOTING SKILLS CAPTURE THE AURORA

here’s what you need to photograph one of the greatest displays on earth

01 Sturdy tripod

A tripod lets you lengthen your shutter speed so your sensor can gather enough light to capture the display. The aurora can be fast-moving or slow, weak or bold. Control over shutter speed enables you to tailor your exposure to varying conditions.

02 Aurora borealis

The Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis are geomagnetic phenomena that flare up high in the atmosphere at the poles. Solar particles collide with the earth’s gases and the aurora swirls across the sky – mostly in green but occasionally pink and red too.

03 Foreground details

While the display is beautiful, it’s an interesting foreground that will set your photo apart. It could be a simple building, a row of trees, or a mirror-like lake. Forward planning can give you the edge, so seek out compositions that face northwards.

04 live view

Live View can be helpful for framing and focusing in low light. Set your screen brightness to low so that it doesn’t dazzle you – you’ll need your night vision intact when moving around. A weak red torch can also be helpful for night-time shooting.

05 Sensor Sensitivity

Shooting at night sometimes means you need a higher ISO than you’d normally use during the day, perhaps 800 or more. So it helps if your camera’s sensor performs well at higher ISOS as this means less noise and better-quality photos.

06 Prevent Shake

Typically your shutter speed will be around 5-20 secs. For any exposure longer than 1/20 sec, the act of pressing the shutter button can lead to camera shake. So either use a cable release or engage your Canon’s self-timer and set it to 2 secs.