Notes · Aurora
Photographing the Aurora with a Phone or Camera
The aurora australis is one of those sights where the camera routinely beats the eye. On a modest night you may see only a pale grey glow low in the south, while a ten-second exposure turns the same patch of sky green and pink. That is why experienced watchers in New Zealand photograph first and look second. If you want to know when to head out, start with our guide to reading an aurora forecast.
Why the camera sees more
In dim light the human eye switches to rod cells, which are sensitive but almost colour-blind. Faint aurora therefore looks white or grey. A camera sensor gathers light for the whole exposure and records colour evenly, so a few seconds of collected light reveals what your eye simply cannot.
The colours are real. Green comes from oxygen at roughly 100 to 200 km altitude, red from oxygen higher up, and blues, purples and some pinks from nitrogen. During strong storms, such as the one in May 2024, the aurora was visible to the naked eye even from the North Island, and some people saw colour in it, but on most nights the camera does the heavy lifting.
Phone cameras: night mode first
Most recent phones handle aurora well, provided they are kept still.
- Turn on night mode (or the equivalent "night sight"). Many phones will offer a longer exposure, sometimes up to 10 or 30 seconds, once they detect they are on a tripod.
- Use a small tripod or prop the phone against something solid. Hand-held night mode works, but a support gives sharper stars and longer exposures.
- Use the main wide lens, not the ultra-wide or telephoto. It usually has the widest aperture and best sensor.
- Turn off the flash and tap to focus on a bright star or a distant light, then lock focus if your phone allows it.
- Use a timer of two or three seconds so tapping the shutter doesn't shake the image.
If your phone has a "pro" or manual mode, the camera settings below apply too, within the phone's limits.
Camera settings that work
For a mirrorless or DSLR camera, a good starting point is:
| Setting | Starting value |
|---|---|
| Lens | as wide as you have, 14-24 mm on full frame is ideal |
| Aperture | f/2.8 or the widest your lens allows |
| ISO | 1600 to 3200 |
| Shutter | 5 to 15 seconds |
| White balance | manual, around 3500-4000 K |
| File format | RAW, if available |
Take a test shot and check the histogram rather than the bright screen. If the sky is dark and murky, raise the ISO or lengthen the exposure. If the aurora is active and moving fast, shorten the exposure to 2-5 seconds so the rays stay crisp instead of smearing into a wash. On a quiet glow, 15 seconds or more is fine, though stars begin to trail on longer exposures, and sooner the longer your focal length.
Turn off in-lens image stabilisation when on a tripod, and turn off long-exposure noise reduction if you want to shoot continuously.
Focusing at infinity
Focus is the most common failure. Autofocus struggles in the dark, and the infinity mark on many lenses is not accurate.
- Switch to manual focus.
- Point at the brightest star or planet you can find.
- Use live view, zoom in as far as the screen allows, and turn the focus ring slowly until the star is the smallest possible point.
- Leave the ring alone after that. A small piece of tape over it stops accidental bumps.
A distant streetlight several kilometres away works if there are no bright stars visible.
Tripod and stability
A sturdy tripod matters more than an expensive camera. Extend the thicker leg sections first, keep the centre column down, and hang a bag from the hook if it is windy. Southern coasts are where aurora watching is best and they are often breezy, so even a light tripod benefits from being low to the ground.
Framing a foreground
The best aurora photos have something on the ground: a ridgeline, a jetty, a tree, a lighthouse, the shape of a person. Some tips:
- Face south, ideally with a clear, dark horizon. Our aurora australis page explains why the glow sits low in the south from most of New Zealand.
- Put the horizon low in the frame and give the sky most of the image.
- Light painting with a dim torch for a second can lift a dark foreground, but go easy and be considerate of others nearby.
- Water doubles the colour, so a still lake or harbour is worth seeking out.
Before you go out
Check the forecast tools you trust, such as the NOAA 30-minute aurora forecast and the Bureau of Meteorology Space Weather Services aurora page, and check the cloud forecast. Then:
- Charge batteries and carry a spare. Cold drains them quickly.
- Bring a red torch, warm layers and something to sit on.
- Know your spot in daylight, especially near cliffs or water.
- Keep shooting through quiet periods. Aurora often brightens in bursts, and a substorm can arrive with little warning.
The camera won't lie about colour, but it will exaggerate brightness. When you share images, it is worth noting that the eye saw less, so nobody drives two hours expecting the photo.