Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights Viewing and Photo Tips

The Northern Lights is one of my favorite natural phenomena to see and photograph. It can be somewhat rare which adds to the appeal. I've put together a guide on tips on viewing and photographing the Northern Lights. The first part will be on how to have the best viewing experience. The second will be on how to take photos of the aurora. Part three will go over some tips on post processing of the photos using Adobe Lightroom.

Part 1 - Viewing Tips

Part 2 - Astrophotography

Part 3 - Post Processing

What is an Aurora?

The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights (Aurora Australis/Southern Lights in the southern hemisphere) produces spectacular colors shimmering and dancing in the night sky at higher latitudes. Vibrant greens, reds and purples light up the darkness. These colors come from the air in the atmosphere interacting with disturbances (intense solar wind, coronal hones, coronal mass ejection) in the Earth's magnetic field (further reading Aurora(wiki), Auroral Colors and Spectra).

This photo was taken at Elk Island National Park during a Geomagnetic Storm in May 2024

Part 1 - Northern Lights Viewing Tips

Time

There is no guarantee that there will be an aurora on any given night. My favorite website to monitor the auroral activity is SpaceWeatherLive. There are two areas to look at. On the top right, the "newsfeed" gives events and a timestamp. For our purposes, G2 - Moderate geomagnetic storm indicates a high likelihood of seeing an aurora. On the left, the Kp-index (read more here) is a calculated value from magnetometers around the world. For both, the higher the number, the more likely there will be an aurora.

We want a high Kp-index. Higher Kp-indices will result in a G1-5 Minor to Extreme Geomagnetic Storm.

There is a mobile app can be configured to give notifications when an aurora is likely. Links below.

Apple AppStore

Android PlayStore

The best time to view the aurora is after dark. That sounds simple enough but there's a bit more to it. It can take quite a while for it to get properly "dark" depending on where you live and the time of year.

Note the times at the bottom

Refer to the picture above from https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/edmonton on April 15, 2025. The key information is at the bottom. For April 15 "Daylight" ends at 8:35pm. However, it takes until 10:55pm for "Night" to begin. The time in between is called "Twilight". I suggest travelling and setup be done in Daylight. We don't really know exactly when the aurora will be at its best. So it's advisable to be setup early and be patient as the night progresses. I like to arrive before the sun has set to take advantage of the Golden hour.

It is also important to check the weather. Obviously, it needs to be clear (ie. no clouds) but it is helpful to know if it will be windy or cold. I usually look at the hourly forecast from Environment Canada and dress for the cold late in the night. Often, I dress for the temperature around sunset. Then when I'm waiting for it to get darker, I realize that I didn't dress warm enough; a classic do as I say not as I do scenario.

Dress for the coldest part of the night

Place

Choosing a place is equally important. Artificial light from street lights and buildings in the city can easily overpower the aurora. We need to find a place that is sufficiently dark (ie. away from light pollution). Refer to the picture below from this website LightPollution.info . Another great reference is Dark Site Finder.

Light pollution map of Edmonton area

The pink/purple is the brightest and the blue is the darkest. The colors correspond to the Bortle classification levels. Level 1 is excellent dark sky and Level 9 is inner city sky. Bortle 1 is very difficult to achieve these days. From Edmonton, the best option for those looking for Bortle 1 is to head to the mountains. The areas around Jasper (not in the town itself) are Bortle 1. Read more about the Bortle scale here.

Clicking on the map shows more information.

Details for Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park

Bortle Class 4 is OK. This is where the trade off between darkness and time spent travelling comes into play. Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park is about 40min away by car. Be aware, it's not the trip out in good light that is the concern. It is the return trip when it is dark and you are tired that can be hazardous. With safety in mind, this is a reasonable distance for aurora viewing.

How did I choose Astotin Lake?

1. It is reasonably dark.

2. It is easily accessible by car.

3. The hiking trails along the lake on the south side provide a nice view to the north of the lake and the aurora.

4. There is a heated building with indoor plumbing.

I've been to Astotin Lake many times. But for scouting new locations without leaving the house, Google Maps Streetview is extremely handy.

Now we have a spot and we know what time to get there. Let's talk about techniques for photographing the night sky and the aurora.

Part 2 - Astrophotography

When choosing a location, we've deliberately gone somewhere very dark. This makes photography challenging. If you've read my guide on photographing fireworks, many of the same principles apply.

Equipment

The following is a list of the equipment I bring:

• Camera

• Tripod

• Lenses

• Flashlight

• Warm Clothes

• Bug Spray

• Snacks and water

Composition

It is easy to forget about composition when shooting at night. We are talking about the aurora so shouldn't it be enough to see it and take a photo? I would encourage you to challenge yourself and try to apply some composition guidelines to your astrophotos.

Returning to the Place section above, this is why I have chosen Astotin Lake area. The south shore trail has a relatively unobstructed view of the lake to the north. My goal is to have the aurora reflected perfectly in the lake similar to the photo below.

The boardwalk provided a convenient way to get right down close to the water

A few other broad suggestions per the shots below.

I worked hard to make sure the little Japenese lantern was in the shot. Next time, I think a little light inside would look great and help to draw the eye a little bit.

By including foreground objects like trees, the photo gains a sense of depth (or maybe height in this case) that a shot of only the sky lacks.

Setup

Setup starts with mounting the camera on the tripod and aiming at the sky. Next, I set the camera to manual mode and dial in ISO 4000, 16mm, f/4, 2s, and self-timer/ remote shutter control. Through trial and error, I have found these to be optimal settings for my camera and lens. The nature of the aurora brings constantly varying brightness. It is important to review your photos on the spot and adapt. In the following sections, I will describe my thought process on changing each aspect of the exposure.

I always shoot in RAW mode and I would encourage you to do the same. This makes editing easier and more powerful since we have more data to work with. A key aspect of the Post Processing workflow is Denoising in Lightroom which only works with RAW files.

For demonstration purposes, I am using the stars as visible from my back deck. I have a light to make it easier to see for this tutorial. I would suggest practicing in a similar way before heading out in the dark.

Camera mounted to the tripod and aimed skyward

Set the drive mode to Self-timer or use a remote control to eliminate vibrations

ISO 4000, F4, 2"

Aperture and Focal Length

Generally, we need all the light we can get and there are no depth of field issues so I set the aperture to the widest the lens will allow and leave it at that.

Focal length has an interesting interaction with exposure time when it comes to astrophotography. Generally, we want the stars to be as close to a single point as possible. With a longer focal length, the stars appear to move faster. In order to avoid smeared, streaky stars, we need to limit the length of the exposure. The "Rule of 500" instructs us to divide 500 by the focal length to determine the maximum exposure time. Using 16mm, that gives 500/16mm =31.25. Based on the "rule", we shouldn't exceed 31.25s to keep sharp pinpoint stars. Generally, I try to stay to a shorter exposure time than the maximum.

Focus

Depending on your camera and how bright the aurora is, autofocus may work. With the goal of the sharpest, pinpoint stars, manual focus is usually required. Some cameras will refuse to take a photo if they cannot determine the proper autofocus setting. To set the focus properly, first the camera must be set to manual focus mode. Setting the focus ring to infinity does not work. It is a good start but we need to fine tune the focus. While adjusting the focus ring back from infinity, concentrate on one of the brighter stars or constellations. Slowly turn the focus ring. The stars will go from looking like a donut/blob to a small bright point. My camera automatically zooms in to x4.7 when I start adjusting the focus. Sometimes the zoomed in window needs to be panned around to find the same stars we were looking at before. When I am close to the optimal point, I click the center button and it zooms in even further to x9.3 for extra fine adjustment. Lastly, if you adjust the focal length, be sure to check the focus.

Set the Focus Mode to Manual Focus

Start with the focus at infinity. The star we're aiming for is just to the right of the infinity sign

It's difficult to show what it looks like on the viewscreen. I took a shot at this focal distance and zoomed in in Lightroom.

Focus at infinity results in blur

Bringing the focus back yields the sharp point stars that we are looking for.

When I am close, I hit the button to zoom in again to see the fine detail. Notice x9.3 in the top corner

For comparison, this is what the camera sees when the focus is set correctly. Notice how numerous smaller stars are now visible.

With focus set correctly, tons of smaller stars become visible. It was windy so the trees are blurred due to them blowing in the wind

Note how for back I had to come for proper focus

This is the most fiddly part. If the camera is having trouble seeing the stars, there are a few things to try. First, reset the focus. Rotate the focus ring all the way one way and then begin again turning the ring slowly back the other way. Alternately, try turning on autofocus to see how it does and then switch back to manual for fine tuning. To help the autofocus you can light up objects in the foreground with a flashlight. Second, boost the ISO in the exposure settings to the highest value before entering the "ISO Extension" range. This is most useful when it is extremely dark. Third, in combination with the boosted ISO, I find reducing the exposure time is also helpful in making the camera/display respond better. The camera display is trying to show an image in real time based on the exposure settings. If the exposure time is multiple seconds, it follows that it will take a approximately that long to show an image on the display. Setting the exposure time to 1s or less can make the display seem more responsive. Lastly, take several test exposures and be sure to zoom in while reviewing them.

If you are finding it very difficult to get the focus, it may be worth buying a tool called a Bahtinov Mask. It is a grid/grill that fits over the front of the lens to make focusing on stars easier. Read more here

Exposure Time and ISO

The brightness of the aurora and the amount/speed it shimmers can vary dramatically so these exposure numbers are just a starting point. If it is dimmer, I will increase either or both of the ISO and exposure time. If the aurora is shimmering and moving more rapidly, a shorter exposure time will capture the movement better. In this context, a longer exposure time is around 30s or more and shorter is around 1s or less. A few additional considerations related to exposure time are as follows:

• Longer exposure times will "smooth" out small waves/ripples in water. However, any movement in trees or other foreground objects will be blurry. Wind or other vibration can move the camera/tripod making everything blurry.

• Shorter exposure times will capture the faster, more shimmery Auroras but it may be a struggle to get enough light, requiring fairly high ISO settings. The amount of noise in high ISO exposures is a concern. We'll talk about ways to mitigate this issue using Lightroom's "Denoise" in Part 3 - Post Processing. See my previous post about this incredibly useful feature.

• There is no definitive "best" exposure time. I have experimented with exposure times from 0.5s to 80s. Below are a few examples with a variety of exposure settings.

ISO 10,000, 16mm, f/4, 0.5s

The aurora movement is captured nicely with a faster shutter speed. Also, the tree in the foreground is reasonably sharp. However, there is significant noise in the dark areas on the right due to the high ISO. Additionally, there are not many stars visible.

ISO 4000, 16mm, f/4, 2s

Increasing the exposure time to 2s allows me to reduce the ISO to 4000. The aurora loses a bit of the effervescent quality of the previous shot but the noise in the sky is dramatically reduced and many more stars are now visible. I chose to darken the shoreline and trees because there is still significant noise in the very dark areas that distracts the eye.

ISO 4000, 16mm, f/4, 6s

Comparing with the previous shot increasing the exposure time to 6s brightens the overall photo. The brightness and intensity of the aurora can change on a minute to minute basis making direct comparisons like this tricky. If the aurora looks to be dimming, increase the exposure time and/or ISO. If the aurora is brightening, consider decreasing exposure time and/or ISO. Use your judgement and adjust the settings on the fly.

ISO 4000, 16mm, f/4, 10s

ISO 4000, 22mm, f/4, 15s

This is my favorite shot from the whole night. It is available for purchase from my print shop here. Use coupon code "15seconds" to save 15% on this item.

ISO 500, 16mm, f/4, 30s

Increasing the exposure time to 30s requires reducing the ISO. This spot is closer to the main parking area/beach so I reduced the ISO more than just the amount required to balance the exposure time. Read more about equivalent exposures here.

ISO 100, 16mm, f/4, 40s

With these last two, I wanted to experiment with longer exposure times. While they are not a disaster, they are far from the best shots that night.

ISO 100, 16mm, f/4, 80s

The star trails are becoming quite noticeable at 80s. Next time I might try to exaggerate this effect even further to create the star "spirals" around the north star. I took a practice shot from the backyard when there was no aurora. In Sherwood Park, the light pollution is very noticeable. This is a composite of dozens of exposures equating to approximately 1hr of exposure time.

OM Systems "Live Composite" feature takes dozens of exposures and creates a single photo based on any movement in the shot

Another fun experiment was a self "portrait". On this occasion, I had the exposure settings figured out and wanted to try different compositions.

ISO 4000, 16mm, f/4, 10s

ISO 4000, 16mm, f/4, 10s

It is surprisingly difficult to stand perfectly still for 10 seconds!

Part 3 - Post Processing

Post processing is akin to taking the film to be developed. At the simplest, post processing converts RAW files to another format like jpg for ease of distribution and viewing. When processing aurora photos, there can be numerous adjustments that are needed. My tools of choice are Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop.

Import and Initial Review

The first thing to do is import the photos from the camera. Once they are loaded into Lightroom, we can take a proper look at each one. My workflow for all kinds of photos, not just auroras, is to look for any defects or blemishes such as subject out of focus or under/overexposed. Also, I look to see if the subject is properly framed. At this stage, I only want to see if it is worth spending more time working on a photo. To speed things along, I use the Auto Tone Control on all the images.

Adobe's Auto Tone Control does a decent job for a first pass

Then I look at the thumbnails to see if there are any obvious rejects. The X key is the shortcut to flag an image as "Rejected". Lightroom then greys out the photo and adds a flag with an X to the thumbnail.

When I was first starting out, I was very precious about every single photo. I felt like it was my duty to save every single one. These days, I take lots of shots and don't think twice about rejecting some. While Photoshop is extremely powerful, I'm a photographer not a painter. If something is not in the photo to begin with, I can't create it from scratch.

Take lots of photos so you can reject the duds without a "guilty conscience"

Before moving on, I would encourage you to think about why each shot was rejected and how you might improve your technique for next time. With the length of this guide as an indication, there is a lot to think about.

Develop - Denoise

Once I have a smaller selection of "keepers", I look at how much noise is present in each photo. The AI powered Denoise tool only works on RAW files. In my opinion, this alone is reason to shoot in RAW.

Zooming in reveals a fair bit of noise in the sky. It shouldn't look "bumpy" or "grainy".

Scroll down to the "Detail" section. Hit the button that says "Denoise".

Denoise amount of 50% is usually quite good. Select all of the keepers. The Denoise utility supports batch processing.

Notice how the "bumps" and grain are almost totally gone. Also, the "denoised" file will be saved with the "-Enhanced-NR.dng" suffix in the same folder as the original RAW file.

Develop - Tone Control Adjustments

As previously mentioned, I like to start with Adobe's Auto settings and tweak the individual sliders from there.

Noise Reduction and Auto Settings applied

I want to bring out the stars. To accomplish this, I have adjusted the Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks. There is a bit of haze/cloud. The Dehaze slider works wonders here. Be aware Dehaze affects the color and exposure towards dark blue as a side effect. In this instance, the effects are minimal; I only boosted the exposure a little bit to offset the Dehaze. Lastly, I boosted the Vibrance. Vibrance adjusts color saturation in a more subtle and intelligent fashion. Read more about Vibrance and working with color here.

RAW photos tend to have muted colors so it's important to boost the Vibrance

Develop - Remove

One of the other side effects of long exposure astrophotography is trails left by aircraft and satellites. These are fairly easy to fix with the Remove tool. Select a small size and draw over the trails completely. For this task, Generative AI and Detect Objects boxes are not checked. They can be useful for other removal tasks but here they just slow things down.

Remove any trails from aircraft or satellites

Develop - Masking

Masking is one of the most powerful tools in Lightroom. It allows for precise control of exposure, color, and effects in specific parts of the photo. To start, select the Masking Tab and click Sky.

Masking has an AI powered assistant to select certain parts of the photo. For this example, we want Sky

The AI is almost too clever. It can tell the difference between the sky and the sky reflected in the water. For our purposes, it is important to apply the edits to the reflected image as well. In this case, I opted to use "Luminance Range" to add the water. The Brush tool works well too. I find turning on the Overlay to be very helpful. Areas affected by the mask are shown in red.

Add the water to the mask. Turn on the overlay to see exactly where the mask is

With the mask area set, we can begin to make adjustments. These are the same suite of adjustments as we saw at the start in Tone Control Adjustments. Keep in mind that the mask Tone Control AND the Basic Tone Control are affecting the masked area.

Here I am making a minor adjustment to the Tone as well as several Point Color adjustments

The Point Color adjustments are very powerful. The Point Color function is available in the global section. But by controlling the specific area with the mask we ensure there are no weird artifacts popping up in unwanted areas.

For the aurora, I adjust the Hue and Saturation for purple, green and blue

With masking applied, the colors are more vibrant without creating artifacts in other parts of the photo

An argument could be made that masking is not really needed for these photos. I feel that masking is such a useful tool that I want to include it anyway. A more practical example is below. By boosting the shadows and the yellow saturation, the Northern Flicker really pops while leaving everywhere else unaffected.

Global Tone Control only

Tone Control + Masking

I hope a few of these tips help you to find a good spot to see the aurora and take better photos of it. If you have any questions, please let me know either below or via email. Also, I would love to see any photos you take!