r/photography· northof60@northof60

The dark nights are back in Yellowknife, and so is the aurora. My starting settings for anyone trying it this fall.

All summer the sky barely got dark enough to bother. Now it's properly dark by late evening and the lights have already been out a few times, which is no big deal (it's a huge deal, every single time). For anyone who gets a clear night and some green this fall, here's where I start. Tripod, obviously. Widest lens you have, wide open, around f/2.8 if it'll go there. Manual focus on a bright star using live view, then tape the focus ring so you don't knock it. ISO 1600 to 3200. Exposures somewhere between 2 and 10 seconds, shorter when the aurora is moving fast so it doesn't smear into a green blob. Shoot RAW so you can fix white balance later. And keep a spare battery in an inside pocket, because the cold drains them faster than you'd think.