STEP BY STEP CAMERA SETTINGS FOR NORTHERN LIGHTS

Long shutter speeds, wide apertures and high ISOs are key to capturing the northern lights…

USING A tripod, set the camera to Manual mode and use a wide aperture, such as f/4 or f/2.8, and a reasonably high ISO, like 800. Set a shutter speed of 10 secs to begin with, then simply vary the shutter speed until the exposure looks correct.

FOR FAST-MOVING aurora an exposure length more than 10 secs may blur out detail like this. If so, speed up the shutter and increase the ISO to 1600 or more. If it’s moving slowly you’re free to lengthen your shutter speed and lower ISO for better image quality.