Really, all you need to photograph the aurora is a smartphone. However, a professional DSLR/mirrorless camera, high-quality lens, tripod, and the right knowledge about how to set up the shot and editing will always result in a better photo. I recommend buying a used full-frame mirrorless camera for aurora photography. Some good models include the Canon 6D (budget), Canon EOS R (entry-level), Sony a7 iii (mid range), or Sony a7r iv (top-tier). Really, any camera with a manual mode can take great pictures of the aurora. I am biased to cameras I have experience with, but all camera brands produce good products. There are differences, but in the grand scheme of things, they are small.

A timelapse is a video that shows time moving faster than reality. If you took a video with your phone and sped it up, that's technically a timelapse. A series of photos taken in a row can also be stitched together to create a timelapse since videos are just series of images played quickly (usually 24, 30, or 60 frames per second). The photo timelapse method is used frequently by nature photographers to show the movement of clouds, waves, stars, or anything else. Timelapse shows how the world evolves over time.

Aurora timelapse photography is my bread and butter - I love how timelapse shows how the aurora moves and dances across the sky. To create an aurora timelapse, you need a camera that can shoot a timelapse. Many smartphones have this feature, but professional DSLR/mirrorless cameras can also do this. You may need to buy a device called an "intervalometer" that lets you automatically take pictures.

Once you have an image sequence, you can edit the photos as normal and combine them to form a movie using software like Adobe After Effects.

Taking videos of the aurora is possible with many modern smartphones, especially the newer iPhone models. For the best results, make sure to lower your video resolution from 4k to 1080p and decrease the frame rate to 30 fps or 24 fps. This will let more light into the camera. However, some professional cameras like the Sony a7s series can take extremely clean videos of the aurora, even when it is not super bright. I use the Sony a7s iii. It is one of the best consumer-grade low-light video cameras. If you are using a professional camera, the lens you use matters a lot when taking video, since light gathering is extremely important. A 35 mm f/1.4 or 24 mm f/1.4 lens is the sweet spot for aurora videography. I personally use the Laowa Argus 35 mm f/0.95 lens since it has an extremely large aperture (front opening) to let in tons of light into my camera.

For aurora photography, you will want a wide-angle, wide-aperture lens. Wide apertures (low f-numbers) mean the lens will let in lots of light. Look for lenses with f-numbers less than 2.8 (e.g., f/2.8, f/2.0, f/1.8, f/1.4). Wide angle lenses (focal length of 35 mm or less) are also important for capturing a wide view of the sky and landscape. The aurora often fills the entire sky, so having a lens that can capture a super wide field of view is nice to have. Unfortunately, you can't just pick up any lens that is wide-angle and wide-aperture. It is hard to manufacture these lenses, and many of them are not sharp and have defects when they're used at their widest apertures. Some of these defects include "coma," "spherical aberrations," and "astigmatism." Make sure to read lens reviews to see which models correct for these aberrations the best.

These are the lenses I use (all Sony E-Mount):

• Laowa 12 mm f/2.8 Zero-D
• Sigma 14 mm f/1.4 ART
• Sony 14 mm f/1.8 GM
• Sony 20 mm f/1.8 G
• Sony 35 mm f/1.4 GM
• Laowa Argus 35 mm f/0.95

They are all fantastic and top-of-the-line.

A full guide to aurora photography (including gear, camera settings, and editing tips) can be found in my e-book!

First, make sure you are using manual focus and manual white balance. Shoot in RAW picture mode. Use manual mode with auto ISO. You have two settings to change now. For aperture, use your lowest f-number. For shutter speed, if the aurora is not active take the number 400 and divide it by your lens' focal length. This number will be your shutter speed. For example, with a 15 mm lens, I would use a 26-second shutter speed. Since my camera doesn't have an option for 26 seconds, I would just set it to 20. When in doubt, round down, not up. The reason is that any shutter speed longer than 26 seconds (in my case) will result in star trailing, which is bad. If the aurora is active, you want to use a shorter shutter speed to get more details in the sky. A shutter speed that is too long will blur the aurora and cause it to smear. I usually shoot my auroras with a 8-second shutter speed, and when it's super active, I will use a 3.2-second shutter speed. Since we are using auto ISO, you don't need to worry about adjusting this setting. The camera will control it for you.

On a smartphone, you may not have this level of control, but it's good to use a long exposure and your phone's built-in night mode. Some phone cameras have a "pro mode" that will allow you to freely change the aforementioned settings.

There is no "right" way to edit a photo, but I would avoid using too much saturation. While many people on social media like over-saturated aurora photos, the aurora chasing community knows better and prefers more natural edits.

I use Adobe Lightroom Classic to edit all my aurora photos, and I usually create a subtle S-shape with the tone curve, raise the exposure until my histogram is centered, and add a bit of dehaze and saturation to enhance contrast. The adage "less is more" rings true in photo editing.

I have three pieces of advice. First, buy a battery grip for your camera. This will allow you to use two batteries instead of one, greatly extending the total battery life of your setup. Second, it helps to rubber-band a hand warmer to the body of your camera. This will keep the internal components warm. I find that this works in moderately-cold settings, between 30 and 0 F (0 to -20 C). In extremely cold environments, hand warmers die quickly when exposed to cold air. My strategy when it's extremely cold is to carry many camera batteries and keep all the fully-charged batteries in one coat pocket, and as batteries die, put the dead batteries in another pocket. Both pockets will have handwarmers inside. Many times, camera batteries "die" but actually have charge left in them. The handwarmers warm up the "dead" batteries and give them a bit of extra life.

This happens when it is cold and humid. Lenses with large glass front elements will attract ice crystals. I recommend either rubber-banding a handwarmer to your lens or using a dedicated powered lens heater. They are also sometimes called "dew heaters."

No. Crop-sensor (smaller than full-frame) cameras can do fine. Full-frame cameras are generally better for low-light photography, though.

Yes. You will need a tripod for any kind of long exposure photography. The heavier and wider-basesd, the better. Don't cheap out on a tripod. Also, some gear does not work in the cold. I use Benro Carbon-Fiber tripods with their quick-action ball heads. They work great, even down to -40 temps.