I spotted the northern lights and tried capturing them with my iPhone, but the photos didn’t look great. Does anyone have experience or tips on how to properly photograph the auroras with an iPhone or similar smartphone?
Alright, so here’s the deal: capturing the northern lights on an iPhone isn’t exactly beginner-friendly, but it’s possible with a little effort. First off, ditch the default camera app unless you’re using the newer Pro models with manual settings. Download an app like NightCap or ProCamera that lets you mess with shutter speed, ISO, and focus. You’re gonna wanna drop that shutter speed to, like, 10 to 20 seconds if possible and bump up the ISO to a few thousand—don’t go too high, or your picture’s gonna look like a grainy disaster. Set focus to infinity (yes, that’s a thing).
Tripod? Not optional. Trying to hold your phone steady for 20 seconds is just asking for a mushy, blurry light blob. No tripod? Improvise—use a jacket, a rock, or some MacGyver-level solution to keep the phone stable.
Oh, and turn off flash because, really, it’s not helping anything. Don’t trust the auto mode—it’ll turn out eight shades of wrong. If your phone has Night Mode, activate it, but still tweak settings manually if you can. And patience—tons of patience. You’re not gonna nail it on shot one.
Honestly, iPhones are okay for this stuff, but if you want gallery-worthy auroras, you might wanna consider begging, borrowing, or stealing (please don’t) a DSLR. I’m just saying. Good luck out there freezing your hands off!
iPhones and auroras—honestly a love-hate relationship. You can catch 'em, but don’t expect perfection. Anyway, while @sterrenkijker nailed most of the tips, lemme add a few twists.
First, instead of just tweaking settings and praying, think about warm-up shots (like test pics). Use those crappy low-light city lights around you to practice the settings before aiming at the auroras. Less wasted time fumbling in the freezing cold. Speaking of freezing, keep your phone in a pocket or against your body when not in use—cold kills battery life faster than your ex ghosting you. External battery pack? Yes. Essential if you’re gonna be out there freezing for hours!
And sure, NightCap and ProCamera are great, but don’t sleep on Lightroom Mobile. It’s free and great for editing the mess you might still end up with (because, again, phone cameras have limits). Oh, and don’t overdo the ISO—skip the ‘thousand plus’ madness unless total grain is your aesthetic.
Now, on the ‘tripod or bust’ point, I’ll semi-disagree. If you absolutely cannot pack a tripod—and rocks/jackets aren’t working—consider resting the phone against a sturdy object at an angle. Then use like a Bluetooth shutter remote or even a self-timer because pressing the screen can still shake things up.
One last thing: don’t just focus on capturing perfect auroras. Pan out, get some silhouettes of trees, an abandoned cabin (spooky vibes?) or hilly ridges in the frame to give depth. Sometimes the ‘meh resolution’ of the phone is less noticeable when there’s context surrounding the lights. And honestly? Even if it’s not Insta perfect, the real win is standing there staring at nature’s laser show, right? So don’t forget to look up once in a while.