Find your spot.
Bring home the light.
Places to pause, skies to photograph, and the little details that make a night outside easier.
A map built from my journeys.
Explore the aurora planner for suggested viewing areas and forecasts. My exact personal photo spots are still being collected and will be marked separately when confirmed.
The viewing map is open.
Explore suggested areas, cloud cover and the aurora model.
For each spot: exact location, the view and foreground, suggested shooting direction, access and parking notes, and my experience of how quiet it was. Crowd levels and access can change. A map pin does not promise clear skies or aurora.
Give the sky a place in the story.
Look for a foreground that belongs to the place: a mountain silhouette, a cabin, a shoreline or a reflection. Leave room above it for the aurora to move. Try a level horizon and both portrait and landscape compositions.
Check your frame for lamps and headlights. Use a stable tripod, keep the lens clean, and use a short shutter delay or remote release to avoid shaking the camera when you press the button. With people in the frame, ask them to stay still throughout the exposure.
Settings for the camera you actually carry.
There is no single exposure that works for every aurora. Fast moving, bright curtains need a different approach from a faint, slow glow. Take a test image, check the highlights and sharpness, and adjust as the sky changes.
A dedicated night photo and timelapse recipe will be added for my model, including exposure, ISO, white balance, tripod and interval choices.
Model specific guidance will cover night modes, exposure, stability and reframing. A 360 camera and a standard action camera need different choices.
Night mode availability and exposure controls vary by model. The guide will show tripod setup, focus, exposure adjustment and shutter delay for the confirmed device.
Night mode, Pro controls and RAW support depend on the device. A model specific recipe will cover focus, exposure, stability and capture format.
Exact settings and sample photographs are coming with confirmed camera models. These notes are a preparation guide, rather than a promise that every phone or camera has the same controls.
A good location is only the beginning.
Check cloud cover, darkness, local warnings and safe access before setting out. Give yourself time to look up between photographs.
Read the chase secrets