A powerful solar storm is bringing the Aurora Borealis to American skies this week, with the dazzling display visible as far south as Alabama and New Mexico.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said the phenomenon will continue through Wednesday, fueled by a coronal mass ejection — a huge belch of charged particles emitted by the sun.
But how to capture the shimmering spectacle, which is notoriously fickle to photograph? A smartphone camera, some patience and a bit of adventure is the trick.
“People are always amazed what these things can do,” said Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove, a professional photographer who operates tours in Greenland and Iceland, where the Aurora Borealis is regularly visible.
Mind Your Light
The best way to capture the northern lights is to remove as much artificial light from your space as possible. Adjust the brightness on your phone screen as far down as it can go, so you can get a clearer view through the viewfinder. And don’t forget to turn off your flash.
Exposure Time
The key setting on your smartphone camera for shooting the northern lights is “exposure time,” which determines how long the camera lens stays open when capturing an image. Use a longer exposure time, which is standard for lowlight and nighttime photography.
Newer iPhone models, and many Androids, have “night mode,” which uses exposure times up to 30 seconds long. (Most iPhones will automatically switch to this mode in the dark, but you can also automatically toggle it on in your iPhone camera’s hidden menu).
“It’s usually on auto, and it just goes for three seconds,” said Sigurdur William Brynjarsson, a professional photographer in Iceland who runs photo tours. “You can adjust it for longer exposures there.”
Find Something Stable
Longer exposure times, however, can lead to blurry photos because the camera is collecting much more light than if it was just a quick shutter snap. So it’s important to keep your phone (or any camera!) as still as possible.
Tripods are great if you have one, but steadying your phone against any still surface works. Pay attention to your iPhone’s gyroscope indicator, the cross that sits in the frame during a long exposure and indicates how stable the phone is.
Can’t Be Bothered? Try a Northern Lights App
If you’d like to take the mystery out of it all, there are a handful of northern lights-specific apps that take care of these settings for you. Northern Lights Photo Taker or NightCap Camera are two apps that the official Visit Iceland website recommends for amateur photographers.
“The phones are getting better and better,” Mr. Brynjarsson said. “Which is kind of nice. It gets more people out there getting excited about chasing the lights.”
Ali Watkins covers international news for The Times and is based in Belfast.
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