Northern Lights season is ON and quite spectacular already!
Don’t have a tripod or camera? No problem. Modern smartphones can still capture the aurora if you know a few tricks.
Preparation
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Find the night mode or pro/manual mode on your phone’s camera app.
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Clean your lens (northern lights often appear faint, so clarity matters).
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Reduce screen brightness to save your night vision.
Best Settings (if available in Pro Mode)
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Focus: Set to infinity or far objects.
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ISO: Start around 800–1600.
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Shutter speed: 3–10 seconds (depending on brightness of aurora).
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White balance: Around 3500K, or leave on auto if unsure.
Tips for Shooting Without a Tripod
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Stabilize your phone: Rest it on a rock, fence post, backpack, or even the ground.
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Use the timer: Set a 3-second delay so you’re not shaking the phone when you press the shutter.
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Hold still: If you must shoot handheld, lean against something solid, press your elbows into your body, and stay as steady as possible.
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Burst mode or video: Some phones capture auroras surprisingly well in short videos or bursts that can later be extracted into still images.
Some smartphones such as iPhone or Google Pixel Pro offer a great night mode picture quality and their electronic stabiliser allows to take pictures ny hand for 3-5 seconds without any blur effect.
Pictures in this article were taken without tripod with Google Pixel 8 Pro
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