• Things to Do
  • Destinations
  • Plan Your Trip
  • About Greenland
  • Events
Visit Greenland
  • Home
  • Things to Do
  • Destinations
    • All destinations
    • North Greenland
    • Disko Bay
    • Destination Arctic Circle
    • Capital Region
    • South Greenland
    • East Greenland
    • The National Park
  • Plan Your Trip
  • About Greenland
  • Articles
  • Events
  • Cruise
  • Practical Questions
  • Package tours & providers
  • Your Local Travel Agency
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Northern lights over a lit tent, Camp In Tasiilaq Fjord. By Chris Brinlee Jr

10 Great Tips on How to Shoot the Northern Lights in Greenland

This is a must-read if you love photography!

GET STARTED

If you are hoping to capture the northern lights and the night sky on camera, but are not quite sure how to go about doing it, here are some great tips on how to get started.

In the article The Scenery of the Night, we talked about the basic preparations you need to make before you plunge into shooting photos of northern lights, stars and landscapes at night. In this article, we take additional steps by providing you with a set of basic tools which should allow you to really get going.

A number of people start off by focusing on the need for expensive and advanced equipment they believe is needed in order to shoot at night. But we recommend everyone to begin with the equipment that is at your disposal and slowly gain proficiency by pushing your equipment and your know-how to the limits.

Are you hoping to capture the northern lights?

Continues further down the page...

Package Tours

Greenland Tours: Northern Lights & Icebergs

Greenland Tours

Northern Lights & Icebergs

4 days in Ilulissat incl. dog sledding & Northern Lights tour

FROM €830
Tasermiut Expeditions: Greenland Northern Lights

Tasermiut Expeditions

Greenland Northern Lights

Admire northern lights from mid August to Sept. in one of the best spots: Qaleraliq Glacier camp. Hikes & Zodiac navigation among icebergs

FROM €2,350
Greenland by Topas – Dog Sledding, Igloo Lodge and Northern Lights in Ilulissat

Greenland by Topas

Dog Sledding and Northern Lights in Ilulissat

Sled dogs are in their element under the frosty sky, crackling snow and fluttering Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) of the Greenlandic winter. Overnight stay in Igloo Lodge.

FROM €2,812
Greenland Tours – Frozen West

Greenland Tours

Frozen West

5 days exploring Disko Bay in winter incl. visit to the Greenland Ice Cap

FROM €1,335
Show More

BEGIN WITH EQUIPMENT THAT IS AT YOUR DISPOSAL

  • You will need the following basic equipment:
  • A camera with manual settings
  • A lens that functions as a wide-angle lens on the camera
  • A camera tripod
  • A remote control if the camera is not equipped with a timer
  • A headlamp to provide you with light when handling your equipment
  • Warm clothing and warm boots, gloves and mittens – bring a hot drink as well!

A TOOL BOX FOR NIGHT SHOTS AND NORTHERN LIGHTS

The following tips are the first steps to shooting pictures of the northern lights and other objects at night. More advanced considerations may increase your abilities, but we recommend beginning at an easier down-to-earth pace, and with time gaining the confidence to consider additional steps.

10 TIPS

1) Put the camera on a tripod and make sure your tripod is sufficiently secured and in lieu of any wind that may threaten to topple it.

2) Set your camera on manual focus and choose the manual setting on the menu button.

3) Use either a remote control or the camera’s timer, set for a two or ten seconds release. Pressing the release button yourself will create shaky images even if you press the button ever so gently.

4) Open the lens as far as it will go, choosing the lowest aperture f setting available.

5) Set the camera for the composition you are aiming for. Think as much as possible about getting something in the foreground or some strong features in the middle of the picture, as northern lights and stars are always considered technically to be in the ‘background’. The composition will be much better and your photo far more interesting, as it will have depth and context. As mentioned previously, this is something you can successfully think through during the daylight hours, while you are considering where to go to get your northern light photos at night.

6) Turn on the LiveView function on the camera, allowing you to use the screen and not the view finder to focus. Forget about autofocus – it will not function properly due to lack of sufficient contrast. The contrast is not clear enough for the camera to grasp the area of focus on the night sky.

7) If your camera permits such a function, set the zoom button for maximum zoom, then move the camera with the zoomed screen to an area of the sky with particularly bright stars (stars will appear relatively large in your scope).

8) Turn the focus ring on your lens to infinity. It is the little symbol that looks like a horizontal eight ∞, and you will notice the stars more and more becoming small piercing dots. Fine-tune, using minuscule movements, until you have gained the sharpest focus possible. Because stars and northern lights are so far away, it seems like they are on a flat backdrop in relationship to the person who is watching them, regardless of the fact that they are very far apart from one another. If the stars are in focus, the northern lights, by principle, will be as well, but do remember that the northern lights are always moving and can seem blurred. Once completed, you can turn off the LiveView.

9) Set the camera on an ISO and shutter speed that you know, or assume, is comparable to the emission of light coming from the northern lights. If the light seems very powerful, you might only need a setting of ISO 640 and five seconds of exposure if your lens has a max aperture f/2.8. If the light is dim, you will need to adjust both parameters to a setting such as ISO 1000 and eight seconds. In time, you will learn to do this by sight alone, but for the time being a bit of tedious trial and error will do the trick.

10) Do a test shot and adjust your ISO and shutter speed. Do not change the aperture. It has to be as big as possible, allowing for the maximum amount of light to enter the lens per second. The more light that comes through the lens, the lower the ISO needs to be, thus reducing noise that might otherwise impair picture quality.

AND NOW THERE IS ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO:

It’s time to go outside and enjoy the night sky, trying out your newfound knowledge for real. Who knows, maybe you will discover, like other night time photographers before you, that the best place to be is some place outdoors under the stars with a camera in your hand.

In coming articles we will focus on more technical aspects such as:

  • The importance of the aperture for the inflow of light
  • Sizes of sensors and wide angle lenses
  • The 500 rule
  • ISO/light sensitivity and noise from sensors
  • Compound exposures

SHARE YOUR RESULTS

Have fun and be sure to share your results on our Facebook page. Hashtag them #GreenlandPioneer on Instagram or send them, including some feedback on your use of the tool box, to photos@greenland.com

Explore related articles, offers and tour providers:

  • Natural Experiences
  • Northern Lights
  • Photo tours
  • Winter

By Visit Greenland

Behind Greenland's largest travel site is the Visit Greenland that is 100% owned by the Government of Greenland, who is responsible for marketing the country's adventures and opportunities for guests wishing to visit the world's largest island

https://visitgreenland.com

Editors' pick

Immersing overwelmed by the surroundings. Photo by Aningaaq Rosing Carlsen - Visit Greenland

Editor’s guide: How to spend 4 days in East Greenland

An occupational hazard as an editor is that I read about and collect the most beautiful bucket list destinations, and East Greenland has long been one of mine.

  • #Boat Tours
  • #Cultural Experiences
  • #Culture vs Nature
  • #Dog Sledding
  • #East Greenland
  • #Kulusuk
  • #Natural Experiences
  • #Regions
  • #Seasons
  • #Snowmobiling
  • #Tasiilaq
  • #Things to do & About
  • #Tiilerilaaq
  • #Towns & settlements
  • #Winter
Camping under the sunset. Photo by Mark Hutchison

Camping and exploration logistics in Greenland

For packing a tent, booking a flight and heading into nature, the considerations for exploration logistics are where, when, how, and most importantly what are the risks and how to manage them?

  • #Accommodation
  • #All destinations
  • #Anytime
  • #Anywhere
  • #Camping
  • #Camping
  • #Culture vs Nature
  • #Natural Experiences
  • #Outfitter
  • #Providers
  • #Regions
  • #Seasons
  • #Summer
  • #Things to do & About
  • #Towns & settlements
  • #Winter
Whale Art by Aka Høegh, Qaqortoq. Photo - Peter Lindstrom, Visit Greenland

The Greenlandic hunting culture and the Bowhead Whale – a portrait

The Bowhead Whale can boast not only of its appearance in Season 4 of Borgen, but also of its status as the world's most padded baleen whale, and its history of coming close to extinction.

  • #All destinations
  • #Anytime
  • #Anywhere
  • #Cultural Experiences
  • #Culture vs Nature
  • #Hunting
  • #Inuit Culture
  • #Natural Experiences
  • #Regions
  • #Seasons
  • #Things to do & About
  • #Towns & settlements
  • #Whale Watching
Evening Light View in Uummannaq - Photo- Aningaaq Rosing Carlsen - Visit Greenland

The light in the darkness

What does the darkest time of year look like in Greenland? The 21st of December is the Winter Solstice in Greenland - the shortest day of the year. 

  • #All destinations
  • #Capital Region
  • #Climate
  • #Culture vs Nature
  • #Destination Arctic Circle
  • #Disko Bay
  • #East Greenland
  • #Festival
  • #In The Spotlight
  • #Ittoqqortoormiit
  • #Kulusuk
  • #Maniitsoq
  • #Nanortalik
  • #Natural Expereinces
  • #Natural Experiences
  • #North Greenland
  • #Nuuk
  • #Photo tours
  • #Qaanaaq
  • #Qaqortoq
  • #Qeqertarsuaq
  • #Regions
  • #Seasons
  • #Sisimiut
  • #South Greenland
  • #Sports & Events
  • #Tasiilaq
  • #Things to do & About
  • #Towns & settlements
  • #Upernavik
  • #Weather
  • #Winter
More related articles
Visit Greenland

About Visit Greenland

Behind Greenland's largest travel site is the Visit Greenland that is 100% owned by the Government of Greenland, who is responsible for marketing the country's adventures and opportunities for guests wishing to visit the world's largest island.
The VisitGreenland.com website is created by Visit Greenland and Kathart Interactive.
The Privacy Policy for Visit Greenland

Frequently Visited Pages

  • Things to Do
  • Destinations
  • Nature & Climate
  • When to go
  • Greenlandic Culture
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Other Websites By Visit Greenland:

  • Travel Trade
  • Cruise Call List
  • Media Database

Newsletter

Receive inspiring stories, travel deals and news from Greenland via email.

SIGN UP HERE

GREENLAND – contact us:

Mon. - Fri: 8 am - 4 pm

Visit Greenland
Hans Egedesvej 29
P.O. Box 1615
3900 Nuuk
Greenland

Direct phone Greenland:
(+299) 34 28 21

info@visitgreenland.com

DENMARK – Contact us:

Mon. - Fri. 8 am - 4 pm

Visit Greenland
Strandgade 91
1401 Copenhagen
Denmark

Direct phone Denmark:
(+45) 32 83 38 80

info@visitgreenland.com
Scroll to top