Gear Up: The Essentials
Before you head out into the cold, make sure you have these essential items. The minimal setup means you can stay warm and focused on capturing the perfect moment.
Night mode is the magic that makes long-exposure photos possible, capturing the faint, beautiful light of the aurora. The computational photography in newer iPhones can rival dedicated cameras for aurora shots.
💡 Tip: Keep your iPhone warm in your pocket between shots—cold batteries drain quickly!
Your phone needs to be perfectly still for up to 30 seconds. A tripod is the only way to avoid a blurry mess. Even the slightest movement will ruin a long exposure.
💡 Tip: A small, lightweight travel tripod works great and won't weigh you down in the field.
Patience is often the deciding factor — auroras can be intermittent. Expect to wait anywhere from a few minutes to an hour for the lights to intensify.
💡 Tip: Keep your expectations flexible and enjoy the sky — sometimes steady waiting yields the best displays.
The 5 Steps to the Perfect Shot
Once you're in a dark location and the lights are dancing, follow this process. Click each step to expand the details.
Set up your tripod on stable ground and secure your iPhone in its mount. This stability is the signal your iPhone needs to unlock its maximum long-exposure times.
Great photos have context. Don't just point at the sky! Include an interesting tree, a mountain silhouette, or a lake reflection to add a sense of scale and make your photo far more compelling.
Your camera can struggle to autofocus in the dark. To fix this, tap on a distant, bright object like a star or the moon. When the yellow box appears, press and hold it until you see "AE/AF Lock". Your focus is now set to infinity.
Night mode (the yellow moon icon) should turn on automatically. Tap this icon, and at the bottom, drag the exposure slider all the way to the right to select the "Max" duration (e.g., 10s or 30s). This is the key to capturing the faint light. Also, ensure your flash is turned off.
Even pressing the shutter button can cause a tiny, blur-inducing shake. Avoid this by using the built-in timer. Tap the small arrow at the top of the camera screen to show more controls, find the timer icon (a clock), and set it for 3 or 10 seconds. Now you can press the shutter and take your hand away before the exposure starts.
Level Up: Pro-Tips for Better Shots
Once you've mastered the basics, use these techniques to take your photos from good to great.
Shoot in ProRAW
If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or newer, enable Apple ProRAW in your camera settings. It captures much more image data, giving you incredible flexibility for editing later.
Use a Third-Party App
For ultimate manual control over ISO, shutter speed, and focus, try apps like NightCap Camera or ProCamera+. They turn your iPhone into a pocket-sized DSLR.
A Quick Edit Goes a Long Way
In the Photos app, a simple edit can make your aurora pop. Try slightly increasing "Brilliance" or "Exposure" and decreasing the "Black Point" to make the colors more vibrant.