If you are traveling to Iceland only to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) then you should rethink your trip prior to leaving. However, when you are in country and want to go looking for them, you need to look for certain conditions and have your camera set to certain settings. Hopefully this well help you take that photo that makes everybody envious of your trip.
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If you go with a tour then you will often hear the guides saying they are taking you “Northern Light Fishing” instead of “Northern Light Hunting”. If you are looking for them, it can either mean sitting in the same spot for hours hoping to see them, or constantly having to try new places and sitting for hours waiting to see them. Either way, you could spend hours trying to find them.
To see the Auroras, you need certain conditions to be filled in order to see them, and even with all of these conditions it is no guarantee you will. You need a combination of: darkness/minimal light pollution from cities and the moon, a decent amount of solar activity, clear skies, and quite a bit of luck.
If you are chasing Aurora Borealis, sometimes you will not see the color of the lights, at least not immediately. It could look like a straight gray cloud cutting across the sky. If you take a picture and the photo glows with color, primarily green, you are looking at the northern lights! It can look kind of dull at first, however you just need to be patient!
When you see the northern lights, you need your camera set to specific settings in order to see them and get those clear pictures that you see on the internet. As you can see below, I adjust my camera each day and the pictures got better and better. First night on the far left, last night on the far right.
To get pictures like on the far right, you need to have your camera set up to the following settings. Take the time to learn how to adjust these settings if you are a beginner photographer. If you are an advanced photographer and have more suggestions, please leave a comment below!
I had my camera set at the following:
1) ISO – Range between 1000 and 2000
2) Aperture (f) – Range between 2.4 and 4.5 – lower the better
3) Shutter Speed – Between 10 and 30 seconds
4) Focus – Set to infinity
If you do not have a camera and are trying to shoot pictures with your phone, you probably won’t be able to on an iPhone, as of this post. If you have a Samsung or Galaxy, then you can adjust your settings to get good, clear pictures of this natural phenomenon.
I hope this helps you capture this beauty so you can enjoy it for the rest of your life!