Curtis said he's never seen a major display when it's colder than 30 below. That doesn't mean in December and January you can't have a spectacular display, it's just not so often. Shooting the northern lights Clothed for a cold Fairbanks night and with his camera and tripod set up, Jan Curtis is ready to shoot the aurora. For the first-time or seasoned aurora photographer , a 35 mm camera on a tripod equipped with a cable release is a must. Exposures of 5 to 15 seconds work well unless the aurora is faint or mostly stationary, in which case the exposure time should be doubled.
People tend to overexpose their photos, causing the aurora to look washed out.
If the aurora is bright, moonlight and city lights should not interfere and can offer an interesting foreground. Never use filters because they could cause internal reflections. If it is very dark, a silhouette of a tree or lit cabin will certainly add to the scene. Video cameras are not sensitive enough to successfully record the aurora. Because aurora occurs under clear skies , photographers will often be shooting in temperatures well below zero.