Top Photography Tips for a Northern Lights Flight

15 July 2020  -  Omega

How do you take a photograph of the aurora from inside a moving plane?! The Northern Lights flights are designed around a dark cabin. With all of the lights extinguished, both inside and out, your eyes undergo a change which makes them more sensitive to the dark. It takes around 20 minutes to reach maximum sensitivity but just a brief exposure to bright light will reset things back to normal.

Consequently, we ask all passengers to ensure that their cameras are put into dark mode where they emit no external light. This means no flash, no bright control screens, no forward range-finder lights (these illuminate a scene to allow the camera to autofocus) and no review screens.

This dark mode requirement immediately eliminates the use of smartphones and tablets and also many compact cameras, which rely on their rear-screens for communication. The best type of camera to use is either a bridge camera, digital single lens reflex (DSLR) or mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC).

Here are our top photography tips for getting the best from your cameras…

Tip one: the lens – If you have a choice of lenses or a permanently attached zoomable lens, opt for the one that gives you a wide field of view. Typically, a lens around 20mm focal length works well. The minimum lens f/number is important too. A low number means good light collection. Values lower than f/2.8 are excellent, below f/5.6 okay, higher than f/5.6 and you may struggle.

Tip two: focussing – Turn the lens autofocus off and pre-focus at infinity. This can be done on a bright star but you may struggle through a plane window. Pre-focus the lens on a star before the flight from the ground. Once done, put a bit of insulation tape over the lens focus ring so it can’t move.

Tip three: camera settings – Switch your camera to manual operation. Now you have ultimate control over your camera’s settings. Set the lens f/number to the lowest value, ISO to a mid-high value. For older cameras this will typically be 1,600 or 3,200. Take a test shot to make sure the setting isn’t too noisy. For newer cameras, values between 5,000 and 10,000 may work well. 

Tip four: exposures – Exposure time will be dictated by the brightness of the aurora and your camera/lens combination. As a rule of thumb, try a 20s exposure for a dim aurora, around the 10s mark for an obvious but not bright aurora and 1-5s for a bright aurora. These values are not set in stone, so to hedge your bets use a variety of exposures.

Tip five: keeping still – Practice using your hand as a steadying platform on a window at home, before the flight.

Tip six: know your camera – It’s surprising how many people come on a Northern Lights flight and admit they have no idea how to operate their camera! It’s a good idea to read up on its functions before the flight. Aim to take a photograph of the night sky which shows lots of stars. If you struggle to do this on the ground, you’ll really struggle to do it in the air!

Advanced tip #1 – Use a remote shutter release cable to avoid moving the camera when the shutter is opened.

Advanced tip #2 – Use a bit of dark red gel film to cover your camera’s rear-view screen. Tape the edges of the film to the camera body so no bright light can escape. Make sure the tape doesn’t interfere with control buttons or dials though. Check the efficacy of this in a dark room. After 20 minutes of dark adaption the rear-view screen should be readable without illuminated the room. If you do this and the light is dim enough, you may be able to use the rear-view screen inside the darkened cabin. If it’s too bright you will be told to turn it off though!