Last night was the aurora over Herøy in Norway. Not the strongest one, but just enough to photograph it 
Here are some quick tips on how to take photos of the Northern Lights (NOTE THIS PAGE IS A TRANSLATION FROM NORWEGIAN - YOU CAN SELECT OTHER LANGUAGES IN THE RIGHT SECTION OF THE PAGE);
- Find a place that is as dark as possible, with a view to the north.
- Use a tripod to steady.
- Most SLR camera is provided with a facility to block the viewfinder of the camera. Use this piece (often mounted on the strap) so light does not leak to the sensor when taking the photo.
- As a starting point you can use 3-5,6 aperture, around iso 500 (or higher if your camera performs well at high iso). Closing time will vary greatly, but will often be between 5-30 second.
- You should expose pictures as bright as possible, and then reduse brightness during post editing. This is to reduce noise in the image.
- If your camera has “live view” (use the screen as a viewfinder) then you should use this.
- If it is difficult to focus, you can probably set the lens to infinity (and slightly back again) as a starting point.
- Use a remote or cable shutter release.
- Bring a headlight, but be sure to turn it off during picture exposure.
- If you have landscape in the lower foreground of the picture, such as the transition from land to sea etc., it can be hard to compose in the viewfinder since it's pretty dark. A tip is to use the headlight to light up the landscape during composition of the picture.
- Remember warm clothes, good footwear and your cell phone (in case of any accidents).
Northern Light, Herøy, Norway | Northern lights over Godøy, taken from Sande Herøy. (Kay-Åge Fugledal)
Northern Light, Herøy, Norway | Northern lights over Herøy M&R. (Kay-Åge Fugledal)
Clear night with bright stars and starbusts | Ready Night with stars and starlets. (Kay-Åge Fugledal)
Northern Light, Herøy, Norway | Northern lights over Herøy M&R. (Kay-Åge Fugledal)
Northern Light, Herøy, Norway | Northern lights over Godøy, taken from Sande Herøy. (Kay-Åge Fugledal)
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