Iceland: Northern Lights

The Northern lights cannot be guaranteed as they require certain conditions to be seen. Plan other fun activities in Iceland and think of the Northern Lights as an added bonus!

Viewing the Northern Lights

• The Northern lights are active year round, but they are most visible from September through April. 
• A dark, clear night, and solar activity is needed for the lights to be visible. Look at the cloud cover forecast.
• Go around the time of the new moon. Do not go during a full moon, it will be too bright.
• Get out of the city! Light pollution makes the lights appear much dimmer. A 4x4 vehicle tour has an advantage over bus tours as they can go further out into the wilderness away from the lights.

Photographing the Northern Lights

• Set your ISO at 400 or above
• Set your aperture at the widest possible (lowest f/stop number)
• Set your shutter speed between 7.5 to 30 seconds, this depends on your f/stop and ISO settings.
• Set your focus to manual, set the focus dial to infinity, and then move it back slightly so that the sky and landscape are in focus.
• Mount your camera on a tripod, frame your shot using the rule of thirds, and press the shutter release button.
• Review the shot and adjust settings as needed. If it is too bright, then reduce the shutter speed or increase the f/stop and vice versa if it is too dark.  
• Make sure you shoot in RAW, take off all lens filters, and set LCD brightness to low.