My Aurora Smartphone Learning...
I always had my eyes looking to the night sky, ever since I was a little girl my father used to always say, “she’s got her eyes glued to the sky again” It was actually his fault. He was a sailor and always taught me the constellations in the night sky to help navigate around. I would stare in wonder at it all. There was a certain magic to it. So to find myself being an avid Northern Lights chaser for now 13 years is no surprise when I think of it.
So, to have spent a month in Scandinavia to help others capture the magic and see the dance of Lady Aurora isn’t a surprise to those the know me. I did several group tours for people and all with the same goal, to see the dance of the aurora. Now the key to being in the Arctic Circle is being prepared for the colder temperatures. You need several more batteries charged up for your cameras and a whole kit of items to make sure you are able to handle the long standing in the snow and cold at double digit negative degrees! So, one of the key things I noted in my guiding advert was that I can help you take photos with your smartphone as well. Not a lot of guides know how to do that but with the connection I have in being the Scottish Highlands Smartphone Safari guide, I had a clue on several models and tips.
My first group out was 5 people from France, they were young and staying in a local hostel but were sad that they were leaving without a chance to see the Northern Lights. We were eating in a café and I asked them what they were doing after. They had no plans so I took them out to a spot with less light pollution and I showed them how to ‘see’ the Northern Lights. You see, you can’t just look out and expect to see them straight away, it takes adjustment to the dark and knowing what you are looking for but once you see them, you cannot un-see them!
They all only had the latest iPhones and were frustrated thinking they would not be able to capture the lights. Fear not, I told them, we have the power. After walking them through a few steps on composition and variations they could use, they were off on their own to set up their pics. Boy did they deliver som amazing stuff. The Northern Lights that evening weren’t as strong as they were hoping for but they were able to manipulate vantage points to give them a result that was spectacular. This was a gift no just for them but for me as well. To help people see the lights and then capture them in their own bespoke way, well THAT is the best reward for me.
I was in Norway and Sweden and the temperatures can get quite low. In this type of climate I tend to do test shots, to see if the lights are there. Note, when it’s in a substorm, there is a faint arc in the sky and you could easily mistake it for cloud. So I would take my smartphone and hold it up on Night Mode to take a test picture. In my first 9 days there I had full moon going into 50% moon which actually helps with foreground on the photos of the Northern Lights. I have to say this one evening I got the most amazing photo and it was with my smartphone! The quality of the photo is just as nice as the ones I get with my DSLR. To say you cannot capture a night photo with your smartphone just isn’t really accurate. For the older phones there are apps you can install to optimize your camera settings and allow you to capture the Northern Lights nicely. If those apps produce a low level photo, then there are also ways to edit the photo to pull out what you actually saw. This was the fun I had with my clients on the tours. We were able to really get each person creating a memorable occasion. But I had to remind people to step back and just watch for a little bit because it is the most amazing thing to enjoy.
So, if you have a phone that has Pro settings, these are my tips: High ISO (3200/6400 or higher), speed of 4-10 seconds and f2.8/3.2/3.6/4.0 if possible (the lower this number the better) and most important, a tripod! There are some inexpensive mobile phone tripods available that I highly recommend getting them with a holder that wrks for any model. You have to have a steady hand and if you think you can hold it still the camera doesn’t lie! You won’t regret that. If you don’t have pro settings but you have night mode, this is a great option too. Again, need a tripod, it will be a big help. If no tripod, get something to prop the phone safely on. I recommend bringing a small holder or wedge that you could put the phone on and it will keep it still to put on the roof of a car or on a post to place. Some phones have night mode with variations on the time, 3 seconds up to 30 seconds. Start with 5 seconds and if it is too dark, raise the time. Don’t be afraid to experiment. More top tips can be gotten from you Smartphone Safari guide. There are so many fun ways to capture the dance of Lady Aurora and the MOST important part of this is to have fun doing it!
Key items for time out in the winter photographing the Northern Lights:
Hand warmers/toe warmers
Merino wool tops/trousers
Wool clothes everything!
Wool wool wool.
Written by Lisa, Jet Black Squares Highlands