This guide is built from our own winters in the Arctic and from the live Legendary Adventure tour pages in Tromsø — prices, pickup times and what is included come straight from the operator, never invented.

Set expectations: what the camera sees and what you see

The northern lights often look paler to the eye than they do on a screen. A weak aurora can look like a faint grey-green cloud in person, while a camera with a long exposure turns it into bright green curtains. A strong display, by contrast, can move so fast that a long exposure smears the shapes. Knowing this helps you avoid disappointment and helps you decide when to put the camera down and just look.

We live in Rovaniemi, where we photograph the aurora regularly, and the best advice we can give is to take a few good frames in the first ten minutes and then enjoy the show. On a chase, you are moving across the landscape, stopping at spots the guide has chosen, and the group will stay for as long as the sky is active. That gives you time to experiment.

Everything below is general photographic practice, not a claim about this specific operator’s gear. For the tour facts we rely on the operator’s published page.

Phone settings: the easy route

Most phones now have a night mode that takes several seconds of exposure and combines them. For the aurora, this is often enough.

1. Turn on night mode and, if your phone allows it, choose the longest exposure option.
2. Hold the phone still. Use a small tripod, a clamp or a rock, a rail or the car roof. A shaky phone ruins long exposures.
3. Use the timer (2 seconds) or a remote so your finger does not shake the phone.
4. Tap to focus on a distant light or the horizon, then lock focus if you can.
5. Turn off flash. It does nothing for the sky and ruins your night vision.
6. Include foreground such as trees, snow, mountains or people. The aurora looks better with scale.

Some phones have a dedicated astrophotography mode. If yours does, use it. If not, night mode is good enough for most people.

Camera settings: a starting point

If you shoot with a mirrorless camera or a DSLR, these are starting points, not rules. Adjust after the first frame.

If the aurora is bright and fast-moving, shorten the exposure to 2–4 seconds and lower the ISO. If it is faint, lengthen the exposure and raise the ISO, accepting more noise.

Tripods, batteries and cold

A tripod makes a bigger difference than any lens. A small, light model is fine, and the group is small enough that you will usually have space to set up. Make sure the legs lock firmly, because snow and wind can shift it.

Cold drains batteries quickly. Keep spares in an inside pocket close to your body and swap them when the camera warns you. Phones do the same, so carry a power bank in an inner pocket too.

Condensation is the other cold-weather problem. When you step back into the warm vehicle, your camera can fog inside and out. Put it in a bag before you get in, and leave it there for a while. Wipe the lens with a clean cloth, not your glove.

Gloves are a compromise. Thin liners let you operate buttons, and thicker mittens over the top keep your hands alive between shots.

Composition: how to make the picture feel like Tromsø

The best aurora pictures are not only about the sky. They have a foreground that tells you where you are: a frozen lake, a line of mountains, a lone tree, or a person in a winter suit looking up. Look for something that gives scale and shape, and place it low in the frame so the sky dominates.

Wide lenses give the biggest sky, but they also make the aurora look smaller. If a display is directly overhead, try pointing the camera straight up with a person in the corner for scale. If it is on the horizon, a longer focal length can bring it closer.

A light on a person for a second, from a head torch on a low setting, can illuminate a foreground without ruining the sky. The guide may help with this and with group portraits. Be quick and considerate, because bright lights bother other photographers.

A first-timer’s walkthrough of the evening

Knowing the shape of the evening helps you decide when to shoot. The shared tour picks you up outside Clarion Hotel The Edge at 18:30, and the operator describes the trip as 5–8 hours. The first part is usually driving, with the guide choosing a direction from cloud and aurora forecasts. This is a good time to charge your phone in the vehicle, check your settings and ask the guide what to expect.

Once the group stops at a spot, the guide will explain where to stand, how to stay safe and where the best view is likely to be. You are given a winter suit, so you can stand still for a long time without getting too cold. A warm meal, snacks and hot drinks are part of the evening, and many groups gather around a fire or a table for them.

The lights may appear quickly or slowly. Sometimes there is a faint arc that grows, sometimes a sudden burst. If the sky is active, the guide may stay longer or move to a second spot. That is why the return time varies.

For photographers, the key is to be ready before the show begins. Set your camera up, test a few frames of the stars, and then wait. When the aurora arrives, you will already have the right settings and can concentrate on composition.

If the sky stays quiet, use the time to practise: photograph the guide’s fire, your group in the snow, or the mountains under the stars. Those pictures often end up being the ones you keep.

Etiquette in a small group

A chase vehicle carries 2–8 guests, and everyone wants a good spot and a long exposure. A few simple habits keep the evening pleasant.

• Turn the screen brightness down and use red light on torches.
• Do not shine lights into other people’s shots.
• Share tripod space and let others set up.
• Ask the guide before walking out onto ice or into snow you do not know.
• Take a few frames, then look up with your own eyes.

If you are travelling as a photographer in a group of friends, the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the easier format, because the pace and the light discipline are yours to set. It is NOK 15,000 per group of 2–8 guests, open to all ages, with pickup at 19:00 from the location you choose at checkout.

What we’d book

For most photographers, we would book the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and use the first night, so that a cloudy evening leaves room for a second attempt. For a group, we would price the private version. For a gentler, more active evening, the Aurora Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at NOK 1,500 per person gives you a four-hour attempt with snacks and a hot drink. See our Tromsø activities guide for the full list.

All of these are booked on the operator’s own page, where HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 gives 5% off.

How to book with the discount

1. Open the tour from our link to see live availability.
2. Choose the date and the number of guests.
3. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field before payment.
4. Check the 5% is applied and finish the booking.

The discount works on Legendary Adventure’s own booking page. We are the operator’s partner and may earn a commission; it never changes your price.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

Good aurora pictures come from preparation, patience and warmth, not from expensive gear. Learn your phone’s night mode, bring a small tripod and spare batteries, and put the camera down for a while. The tour does the hard part, which is finding the sky.

Book the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and use HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our Tromsø aurora picks

Tap a tour to see live dates and prices. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field at checkout for 5% off.

Small group · 5-8 HoursNorthern Lights TourFrom NOK 2 300 per personBook with 5% off →Private · 5-8 HoursPrivate Northern Lights TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →Small group · 4 HoursAurora Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 1 500 per personBook with 5% off →Private · 4 HoursPrivate Aurora Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 12 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →

Code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 works on every Legendary Adventure tour booked online. We are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a small commission — it never changes your price.