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PICTURES: Northern lights shine in Moray

Open up the lens aperture. You need to admit a lot of light, so shoot wide open. This will be when the f-number is as low as possible, i.e. f/2.8 or lower for many pro-lenses, or f/3.5 or f/4 for many consumer zooms.
Open up the lens aperture. You need to admit a lot of light, so shoot wide open. This will be when the f-number is as low as possible, i.e. f/2.8 or lower for many pro-lenses, or f/3.5 or f/4 for many consumer zooms.

The Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis, are reflected in rock pools on the beach in Hopeman, Moray during a display on  October 6.

Here are some things to keep in mind when shooting the northern lights:

Deactivate the camera flash and automatic settings.

Always shoot RAW format – it will give you the most data to work with later. …

Focus manually to infinity.

Open up the lens aperture.

Compose your shot.

A camera with interchangeable lenses will be best, but in principle any camera can be used.

The bigger the imaging chip in it, the less grainy the pictures will be.

Lens: A wide-angle lens is best, preferably with a focal length between 10 and 24 mm and a maximum aperture of f/2.8 (but f/3.5 will do at a pinch).

Manual focus adjustment is a must.
Sturdy tripod: To avoid blurring of the picture from camera movement.

A good head which allows independent adjustment of each axis will be best.

If your tripod is unstable, try hanging something heavy from the centre column.

Remote trigger: A cable release fitting your camera will be invaluable in reducing the vibration.

It can be used in addition to or instead of the trigger delay timer, built into most cameras today. If you don’t have a remote trigger, use the the trigger delay instead.

Memory cards: Always bring extra memory cards, if you can. A faulty card can completely ruin an otherwise excellent trip.

Spare batteries: The cold drains batteries very quickly, so remember to bring fully charged spares and keep them in your pocket, close to your body, until you need them.

Open up the lens aperture. You need to admit a lot of light, so shoot wide open. This will be when the f-number is as low as possible, i.e. f/2.8 or lower for many pro-lenses, or f/3.5 or f/4 for many consumer zooms.
Open up the lens aperture. You need to admit a lot of light, so shoot wide open. This will be when the f-number is as low as possible, i.e. f/2.8 or lower for many pro-lenses, or f/3.5 or f/4 for many consumer zooms.
Compose your shot. Remember that the northern lights need scale and context, so include the foreground in your shot. This can be a tree, a building, a car or even just the horizon.
Compose your shot. Remember that the northern lights need scale and context, so include the foreground in your shot. This can be a tree, a building, a car or even just the horizon.
Set the ISO to somewhere between 100 and 400, depending on what you need. The faster your lens and the longer your shutter speed, the lower your ISO can be, and vice versa.
Set the ISO to somewhere between 100 and 400, depending on what you need. The faster your lens and the longer your shutter speed, the lower your ISO can be, and vice versa.
Start with a shutter speed between 4 and 12 seconds, and experiment from there. Avoid longer shutter speeds, as they will tend to blur the northerns lights as they move across the sky. Adjust ISO and/or aperture if neccessary.
Start with a shutter speed between 4 and 12 seconds, and experiment from there. Avoid longer shutter speeds, as they will tend to blur the northerns lights as they move across the sky. Adjust ISO and/or aperture if neccessary.
Keep the camera as still as possible while you are exposing. Use a tripod and a remote trigger if you have one, and the trigger delay function if you do not. Do not touch the camera until it is done exposing, and shield it from the wind if you can.
Keep the camera as still as possible while you are exposing. Use a tripod and a remote trigger if you have one, and the trigger delay function if you do not. Do not touch the camera until it is done exposing, and shield it from the wind if you can.