The Northern Lights

Image: Frank Olsen

In Jamie Carter's "How to Photograph the Northern Lights," he gives 8 steps to enable anyone to take a good picture of the Northern Lights.

1. Invest in a DSLR camera with a wide angle lens, take the shot with an aperature of f2.8 or less, and use a tripod. 
2. If you are unsure whether the faint glow is a cloud or a borealis, taking a picture on your camera will help you to determine for sure. 
3. Compose the photo of the Northern Lights with a good foreground. 
4. Due to the surplus of Northern Lights photos, be creative when taking the picture. 
5. Turn white balance to automatic, turn focus to infinity, use ISO 800-1600, and use a shutter speed of 4-25 seconds. 
6. Shoot in RAW and don't up the saturation that much.
7. Be prepared to be patient. Observing the Northern Lights is not a common occurrence.
8. Instead of making the Northern Lights the goal of the trip, focus on the overall destination of where you go instead. 

Website: http://www.travelandleisure.com/photography/photographing-northern-lights