Tips for using a smartphone to photograph the northern lights

11.05.2024 - 20:17 / thepointsguy.com

I was lucky enough to catch the elusive northern lights on a special delivery flight, Singapore Airlines' first 787-10 Dreamliner delivery flight from Charleston, South Carolina, to Osaka, Japan, and finally on to Changi Airport.

As our flight approached the state of Alaska, flyers on the starboard side were treated to a magnificent display, which — with much effort — I was finally able to clearly capture with my point-and-shoot camera.

At that moment, I pledged to see the northern lights from the ground — not far from our Dreamliner's flight path — in interior Alaska. That adventure became a reality in 2019 when I traveled up to the incredibly remote camp of Coldfoot, Alaska, along the state's famed Dalton Highway.

Many of the best images you've likely ever seen on the northern lights have been taken with an extended exposure.

Since the lights are often quite dim, at least when compared with objects and effects captured in daylight, photographers often use shutter speeds of one second or longer. That means the lights don't look quite as vibrant in person, but, on a clear night, they look absolutely spectacular in photographs.

Generally, if you're using a "real" camera, you'll need a tripod — unless you have exceptionally still hands, which is especially challenging. In many cases, if you're joining an aurora tour, your guide will provide one, but you'll certainly want to confirm that in advance; you might not be able to capture sharp photos if you arrive unprepared. I also recommend bringing along a flashlight, to aid with focusing (more on that below).

In my opinion, there's a much better option, though.

The newer generations of smartphones can capture outstanding photographs in low light. In 2019, I was able to snap some incredible shots using only a handheld iPhone 11 Pro Max, and of course, there are even more advanced models and technology out since then.

I'll focus on Apple's night mode here since that's what I used, but other recent models offer similar functionality. Note that the process with some models that have come out even more recently than this may differ a bit, though the concepts likely remain similar:

If all goes well, you should walk away with images that look something like this:

Related: Why the iPhone 15 is a game changer for travelers

You may notice that the image above looks a bit dull compared to the finished product I included at the top. While you can certainly share an image directly from the phone, you can really make your shot pop by making some tweaks directly on your smartphone, as I did here:

For northern lights photography specifically, I recommend the following adjustments.

The extent of your processing will depend on the image and your own preferences, of course