The northern lights — or Aurora Borealis, to use the more technical term — are a phenomenon that fills our skies with many tones of pink and green. It is often seen in northern areas such as Iceland, Alaska or Norway during the winter months, but in recent years the aurora has been clearly visible in much of the US and Europe, with the CNET team getting good views in Missouri, Kansas and New York. I also had an amazing time photographing the aurora when it performed in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The aurora can be an incredible spectacle to capture on camera, and it’s possible to get amazing photos using just your phone without any additional equipment. I’ve been a professional photographer for over ten years and photographed the aurora all over the world, so I’ve put together my best advice for taking your best photos of the northern lights.
How to take pictures of the aurora with your phone
Many modern camera phones have extremely capable night modes that allow them to capture vivid images even when it’s dark outside. On most iPhones, that mode will automatically kick in when it detects there’s not enough light (you’ll see the little moon icon glow yellow), while some Android phones may require you to shoot using a specific night photography mode that needs to be activated manually. Not sure how your phone’s night mode works? Google the model and “night mode” beforehand to check how it’s done.
Most modern camera phones will have some sort of night mode built in.
With night mode enabled, you should be able to tap the screen to set the exposure, take a photo and watch as your phone captures a long exposure that reveals the beauty of the aurora with little effort on your part. But there’s a lot you can do to make those photos even better.
Read more: Take Your Best Night Mode Photos With Any Phone
First, while you don’t need a tripod when using a phone, keeping a steady hand will definitely help. Try to lean against a wall or at least brace yourself by tucking your elbows in and try to maintain a strong core while taking the photo. Holding your breath can also help.
Stick to using the main image sensor, as this will likely be how your phone captures its best-looking photos. An ultrawide lens may allow you to capture more of the night sky, but these cameras will often use smaller image sensors and smaller apertures, which won’t help your photos. Most “standard” lenses on smartphones are around 24mm, which should be enough to take a good photo.
If you’re shooting with a newer iPhone, take your photo using Apple’s ProRaw format. This saves more image data, while giving more control to adjust white balance and colors using Apple’s built-in editing tools or apps like Snapseed or Adobe Lightroom. Most Android phones offer some form of raw DNG graphics, and I strongly recommend that you use this.
I took this photo on my Leica camera on a recent trip to Sweden. I had it on a tripod, using a wide aperture and a shutter speed of 3 seconds. I used snowmobiles as a past interest.
Changing the white balance in an aurora photo can often be tricky, especially if you’re shooting near urban areas where the orange glow of street lights can throw off your phone’s camera. By shooting in green, you can adjust the colors, as well as the exposure and contrast to allow the colors of the aurora to pop.
How to take a photo of the aurora with a camera
Using a regular DSLR or mirrorless camera is the best way to photograph the northern lights. These cameras have larger image sensors and larger lens apertures to capture more light than your cell phone. However, you will need more gear.
First, you will absolutely need a tripod. Aurora photos are usually taken over several seconds, so keeping your camera still during that time is important. If your camera has interchangeable lenses, choose something around 20mm to capture a wider scene. A wide field is better here — at least f/2.8, although a fast lens that offers f/1.8 is even better. The wider the aperture, the more light it can let in.
Best camera settings for aurora photography
I find it best to manually control the camera when shooting the aurora as the varying light levels can throw off any automatic or priority modes. These are the disclosure settings you need to consider:
I was so happy to have this impressive view of the aurora on a trip to Iceland. I had my camera on a tripod and used a long flash to capture enough light. I used a wide lens so I could fit the bay and mountains into the frame.
A wide opening: As wide as your lens can go to let in more light. Preferably f/2.8, but f/2 or f/1.8 is better. Remember: the smaller the number, the wider the hole.
High ISO speed: The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your sensor will be to light. ISO 800 is a good starting point, but you may find you want to push it to ISO 1000 or beyond. The higher the ISO speed, the more image noise (digital grain) will be visible, but most modern cameras (especially those with full-frame sensors) can handle high ISO speeds of up to ISO 3200 very well with little or no visible noise.
Slow shutter speed: Speeds of two seconds are a good starting point, but again, you may find that you need more light, so slowing down to five seconds may be necessary. Remember that the aurora is moving, so if you want to capture it clearly, keeping your shutter speed to a few seconds is best. If instead you want to fill the sky with a total bath of color (and it’s good), you can try experimenting with a slow speed of 30 seconds or more.
Remember, too, that with long exposures, any movement of the camera will cause blur in your photo, so don’t touch it while it’s taking pictures. If you don’t have a remote release cable for your camera, use a 2-second timer to let any vibration settle before your camera takes the picture.
Raw format: As with phones, shooting in green gives you full control to adjust the white balance later in apps like Adobe Lightroom, while giving more room for light shadows and highlights. A green shot on your camera is a must here.
Vertical shooting allows you to capture the night sky and the foreground.
Tips for better aurora photos
While having the right kit and tweaking your settings will help your aurora photos turn out well, there’s more you can do to elevate your photos from “oh, nice” snapshots to “oh WOW!” pieces of art.
First, consider your location. Just taking a picture from your bedroom window might be easy, but there’s probably a place nearby you can quickly go to get a better view. If you’re expecting the aurora over that night, try and plan a trip out of town, away from light pollution to let those colors shine even brighter.
Read more: Best Tripod for Photography in 2026
Remember to focus on your composition. Sure, pointing your camera straight up to take a picture of the aurora alone in the sky is fine, but think about how you can use the landscape in front of you as part of the composition. Maybe there are mountains, rivers, lakes or coastal bays that would look amazing with the aurora shining overhead.
Maybe you are in the city, away from such beautiful nature. No worries — you can focus on bringing buildings into the equation, maybe get a view overlooking the city that allows you to capture the light show above. It’s worth having some ideas in mind, so if you like to photograph the aurora, it’s worth checking out some photos and see if they help give you inspiration for your photos.
Finally, don’t forget about planning. The editing stage can transform your aurora photos. Those of you who shoot in raw format will already need to adjust the white balance of your images, but any shot will benefit from a few key tweaks. In my photos, I’ll usually slightly increase the exposure, increase the contrast and add some clarity to help the details of the aurora really stand out.
Increasing saturation is a no-brainer (we really want those colors to pop!) and adjusting the crop to eliminate any unwanted distractions can also be helpful. There’s no right or wrong way to edit your photos, so it’s worth spending some time playing around with the slides.
