How to take photos of northern lights in Finland

1. Importing: Copy your photos from your memory card to your computer. Create a folder named with the date and location (e.g., YYYYMMDD_Aurora-in-Location) and import these into Lightroom.

2. Building Previews: Create 1:1 previews for faster editing. This can be done by selecting all photos and navigating to Library > Previews > Build 1:1 Previews. While Lightroom processes these previews, take a break, and when you return, you can start editing without delays.

3. Profile: Set the profile to Camera Neutral for the most flexible editing options. This profile provides a natural look and prevents highlights from blowing out or colors from becoming overly vibrant.

4. White Balance: Adjust the white balance to suit your image. This setting can vary widely depending on the presence of the moon or snow. For instance, under a full moon, you might use a temperature of 5700-5900 and a tint of 30-40. Without moonlight, the temperature might be 4200-4500 and tint 50-60. Find a balance that suits your taste and the natural look of your photos.

5. Tone and Presence: Aim for well-balanced light in your images. The sliders in the tone and presence section should be adjusted to achieve a visually appealing balance between the auroras and the foreground.

6. Tone Curve: Use the tone curve for finer contrast adjustments. Create a subtle S-shaped curve to enhance the light and dark areas of your image without clipping the blacks and highlights.

7. HSL Settings (Hue, Saturation, and Luminance): Adjust these sliders to control the colors in your image. Reducing the green saturation while increasing its luminance can help manage the often dominant green hues in aurora photos. Adjust other colors as needed to suit the overall balance of your image.

8. Detail: Increase sharpness and reduce noise in this section. The ideal settings vary by camera, but start with a moderate amount of sharpening and noise reduction, tweaking as necessary to preserve detail without introducing artifacts.

9. Exporting Your Images:Once satisfied with your edits, it's time to export your images. Choose the folder for saving, set the desired size and quality, and prepare your photos for sharing on social media, your website or even printing them into real photographs.

One of the most common mistakes in aurora photography is underexposing your shots. Underexposure can result in noisy, dull images that lack the vibrant colors and details of the auroras. Ensure your shots are well-exposed to capture all the subtleties of the Northern Lights. Use a higher ISO and a wider aperture to gather more light, but be mindful of the exposure time to avoid star trails.

While it's essential to gather enough light, exposing your photographs for more than 20 seconds can be detrimental. Longer exposures cause stars to turn into streaks due to the Earth's rotation, and the dynamic movement of the auroras can become a blurred mess. Aim to keep your exposure time under 20 seconds to maintain sharp stars and well-defined auroras. Adjust ISO and aperture settings to balance the exposure.

Focusing in low light is challenging but critical for sharp images. One technique is to use a flashlight to illuminate a distant object, or you can focus on a bright object like the moon. Once you've achieved focus, switch your lens to manual focus to lock it in place. Remember to check your focus periodically, especially if you're moving locations or changing compositions.

Cloud cover is the nemesis of Northern Lights photography. Always check the weather forecast before heading out and be prepared to adjust your plans if clouds are predicted. Clear skies are essential for capturing the auroras, so having a flexible schedule and a backup plan can make the difference between a successful outing and a disappointing one.

The Kp index measures geomagnetic activity and is often used to predict aurora visibility. However, it can be misleading because it's an average over three hours and doesn't account for short bursts of intense activity. Instead of relying solely on the Kp index, monitor real-time solar wind data, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength, and direction. Apps like "Hello Aurora" provide detailed, real-time data that can help you better predict aurora activity.

Many photographers avoid high ISOs due to the noise it introduces, but for Northern Lights photography, it's often better to use a higher ISO and a shorter shutter speed. Modern cameras handle high ISO noise well, and tools like Adobe AI Denoise and Topaz can effectively reduce noise in post-processing. A well-exposed, high-ISO image will typically look better than a blurred long-exposure shot.

A wide-angle lens is crucial for capturing the expansive beauty of the Northern Lights. Lenses with focal lengths between 14mm and 18mm are ideal. They not only capture more of the sky but also allow you to include interesting foreground elements. While lenses with large apertures (f/2.8 or wider) are beneficial, they can be expensive. Affordable options like the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 offer excellent performance for aurora photography.

Not all lenses have accurate infinity markings. Manually focusing to the infinity mark might not always yield sharp results. Test your lens during daylight by focusing on a distant object and noting the precise position of the focus ring. Mark this position for future reference to ensure sharp night shots.