Guide · Photography

Northern Lights Photography: Tromsø Tips for Your Photo

Northern lights photography in Tromsø works when camera, tripod, and location are right. Here you will find an overview of settings, spots with foreground, and photo tours.

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Editorial tromsonordlichter.deUpdated on October 2, 20266 min read12 sources

The Tour for This Guide Tromsø: Northern Lights Photography Tour 4.8 (804 reviews) 6 hours from$236per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hours in advance

In short

01ISO: As a starting value for ISO sensitivity, about 1600 to 3200 is suitable.¹
02Bright light: When the northern lights are especially bright, or there is a lot of moonlight or snow light in the landscape, a lower ISO value is enough.¹
03Equipment: Tripod, wide-angle lens, manual focus, and a spare battery in an inner pocket.
04Time window: The lights are often most active between about 8:00 PM and 2:00 AM.²
05photo tour: The recommended photo tour lasts 6 hours and scores 4.82 out of 804 reviews.

Northern lights photography in Tromsø: the basic principle

A camera sees in the dark differently than your eye. With a long exposure it collects light over seconds and reveals colors that you often only perceive faintly outdoors. For this to work, it must stand still, you must set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO yourself, and the focus must be set to infinity. Automatic programs struggle with this task because they search for something they can focus on in the dark.

Good news: the aurora oval stretches directly over Tromsø, that ring of light around the geomagnetic pole.³ When the sky clears, you have great opportunities here for a memorable shot. The challenge lies less in the sky than in equipment and cold. Both can be prepared for, and whoever is prepared can focus entirely on the light in the crucial minute.

Whether mirrorless, DSLR, or a current smartphone with night mode: what matters is that you can expose long enough without the camera shaking. With a camera where you can set all values manually, you have the most flexibility. You can get surprisingly far with a phone if you mount it on a small tripod or place it firmly and let the night mode work in peace.

Photo night

Here is how your photo night goes

Afternoon

Prepare gear

Charge your batteries, focus on a distant target in daylight, and mark it.
Early Evening

Check the Forecast

NOSWE offers one-hour and four-hour forecasts for Tromsø.⁴
Before 8:00 PM

Set up at the spot

Take test shots while the sky is still calm.²
8:00 PM to 2:00 AM

The Active Window

The northern lights are often most active during this time.²
Back in the Warm

Let your camera warm up slowly

Leave it in the closed bag so nothing fogs up.

ISO, aperture, shutter speed: the settings

Start with the ISO sensitivity. Visit Tromsø recommends a starting value of about 1600 to 3200.¹ If the northern lights are especially bright or there is a lot of light from the moon or snow in the landscape, you can also manage with a lower value.¹ A lower ISO value means less image noise, so finer details in the sky and cleaner dark areas in the foreground.

Open the aperture as wide as your lens allows. The more light passes through the glass, the shorter the exposure can be. The shutter speed itself is a matter of character when it comes to northern lights: short times freeze fast, flickering bands and show their structure. Longer times turn calm arcs into soft, glowing areas, but if you overdo it, stars become streaks.

After each shot, take a look at the display and the histogram, then change only one value. If the image is too dark, lengthen the exposure or increase the ISO. If the sky is overexposed, go the opposite way. Lower the brightness of the display so it does not blind you and does not bother others at the spot who are trying to get their eyes used to the dark.

Settings

Which ISO for which night?

Conditions	ISO	What you adjust
Normal northern lights, dark night	1600 to 3200¹	Extend the exposure if it gets too dark
Very bright northern lights	below 1600¹	Use a shorter exposure to show structure
Bright moonlight	lower¹	The foreground benefits, the sky appears brighter
Snow in the landscape	lower¹	Watch for overexposed areas

Starting values based on the photography tips from Visit Tromsø; the right exposure time depends on the lens and the brightness of the light.¹

Photo Tours

Three Ways to Photograph the Northern Lights

Our pick

photo tour

Small group available

Duration: 6 hrs
Rating: 4.82 out of 804
Guide: English
Price: from $236

View tour

In German

Photo Safari in German

With Professional Photographers

Duration: 7 hrs.
Group: up to 8
Rating: 5.00 out of 5
Price: from $241

View tour

Tromso: Northern Lights Photography Tour

Affordable

Affordable Photo Tour

Longer Night

Duration: 7 hrs.
Rating: 4.29 out of 874
Refund: Full refund
Price: from $96

View tour

Decision helper

Which photo night suits you?

What matters to you when photographing?

I want to learn and practice on my own I want explanations in German I mainly want a souvenir photo I have a car and winter experience I am staying in town

photo tour

The recommended photo tour lasts 6 hours; a small group is available.

Photo Safari in German

With a professional photographer, maximum 8 participants.

Northern lights safari

The safari on this page carries the photos in its name and starts from $61.

Private night at Grøtfjord

On Kvaløya, a lovely spot for the hunt from late summer onward.⁵

Telegrafbukta

The waterfront gives you a foreground, on clear winter evenings with a chance of northern lights.⁶

If the aurora is especially bright or there is a lot of light from the moon or snow, a lower ISO setting may be enough.

Visit Tromsø Region ASTranslated from English · Source 1

Focus in the dark: small cause, big effect

Unsharp stars ruin a northern lights picture faster than any wrongly chosen exposure. Autofocus finds no anchor at night, so you focus manually. Some lenses have a marking for infinity, but it is not always in exactly the right place. Do not trust it blindly, but check the sharpness on the image itself before the night really begins.

Focus reliably on a bright star or a distant light on the horizon. Switch to live view, zoom in as far as possible, and turn the focus ring until the point appears smallest. Then fix the ring with a strip of adhesive tape so it does not shift with cold fingers or in your bag during transport.

Make a test shot before the real thing and check it at full magnification. You would rather invest a few minutes here than later find that the most beautiful night of the trip is blurry on the memory card. If you are shooting with a phone, tap a bright spot in the sky in night mode to set the focus, and then let the device lie completely still.

Map

Where you see the northern lights

In the city there are darker spots; when it is cloudy, the search goes out into the countryside.

Map of Tromsø with three northern lights spots — In Tromsø

Map of the Tromsø region to the Finnish border — Around Tromsø

1
Telegrafbukta
Book on the southern side of Tromsøya island; on a clear winter evening, a spot for northern lights.⁶
2
Prestvannet
The lake in the middle of the island and one of the darker spots in town from which northern lights can be visible.⁷
3
Fjellheisen, Storsteinen
The cable car takes you up in four minutes to 421 m above sea level; the operator advertises the view of the city and the northern lights.⁸
4
Grøtfjord on Kvaløya
When the evenings get dark from late summer onward, a good spot to watch for northern lights.⁵
5
Kilpisjärvi, Finland
When clouds roll in, some tours head inland or to Finland, where the sky is often clearer.⁹ By bus it is about 3.5 hours.¹⁰

Equipment

Your camera bag for the night

Camera

Camera with manual mode or phone with night mode
Fast wide-angle lens
Sturdy tripod
Remote shutter release or self-timer

Against the cold

Spare batteries in an inner pocket
Thin finger gloves under mittens
Sealable bag for warming up

In the dark

Headlamp with red light
Gaffer tape for the focus ring
Thermos flask for the breaks

Cost calculator

What does your photo night cost?

Choose a tour and the number of people.

photo tourSmall group availablefrom $236 In Germanwith a professional photographerfrom $241 Affordable Photo Tourlonger nightfrom $96 Northern lights safariphotos in the namefrom $61

people 2

Total from$472

from per person $236

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Departure prices according to GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. The exact price is shown when you book.

Video

tips for photographing the northern lights

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Foreground and spots in Tromsø

A sky full of green only becomes a picture when it has a place to call home. Mountains, trees, a shoreline, or a house give the light scale and depth. In the city, Telegrafbukta is a great choice: on a clear winter evening you can see the northern lights there with the shoreline in the foreground.⁶ Prestvannet is one of the darker spots in the city from which the lights can also be visible.⁷

The Fjellheisen cable car takes you up to Storsteinen at 421 m for a view of the city lights.⁸ From up there you photograph the northern lights over houses, bridges, and the fjord. City lights on such shots are not a distraction but part of the story. Just keep in mind that it can be windier up top: a sturdy tripod or a weight on the center column hook will keep your camera steady.

Those who truly seek dark skies head out. On Kvaløya, Grøtfjord is a beautiful place to watch for northern lights from late summer onward.⁵ There you have mountains and water as a frame and far less artificial light than in the city. Without a car, reaching such spots in the evening is complicated, and that is exactly where a photo tour shines.

Cold, batteries, and fogged lenses

Cold affects not only you but also your gear. In winter the average temperature in Tromsø is around −4 °C.¹¹ Batteries lose noticeable power in the cold. Bring spare batteries and keep them in an inner pocket close to your body. Swap them as soon as the indicator drops, and warm the empty battery in your pocket so it can deliver power again.

The second problem shows up when you go inside. When a cold camera enters a warm room, it fogs up inside and out. Put it in a sealable bag or your closed camera bag by the door and let it slowly come to room temperature. This protects the lens and electronics from moisture that would otherwise settle inside.

And then there is you. If you are cold, you shoot poorly. Visit Tromsø recommends a base layer of wool, then dry warm layers on top, plus warm footwear, gloves, scarf, and hat.¹² Thin liner gloves under thick mittens are especially practical for photographers: you only take off the mittens when you need to operate the camera.

Shoot it yourself or join a photo tour?

If you go out alone, you need to handle spotting, technique, transport, and weather all at once. A photo tour takes at least the transport and the choice of location off your hands. The photo tour we recommend here lasts 6 hours, scores 4.82 out of 804 reviews, and is offered from $236. A small group is available, and the tour is guided in English.

Prefer German? Then there is a northern lights hunt with a professional photographer in German. It lasts 7 hours, is limited to 8 participants, and is offered from $241. With 5 reviews and a rating of 5.00, however, it has barely been tried yet. A more affordable photo tour lasts 7 hours and starts from $96, with 4.29 points from 874 reviews.

And the safari on this page? It has the photos right in its name, lasts 6 hours, is offered from $61, and the guides speak German too. Whether you get help with your own camera along the way is not stated in the offer. If you mainly want a nice memory picture, look at the photos in the name. If you want to learn yourself, choose a tour that explicitly calls itself a photo tour.

Your photo night in detail

Prepare everything in the afternoon: charge your batteries, clear your memory card, check your tripod, and set and mark focus on a distant target in daylight. After that, take a look at the NOSWE forecast, which covers Tromsø for the current hour and the fourth hour ahead.⁴ That way, you know whether the evening outdoors is worth it and where to head.

The prime time starts in the evening and often runs from about 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM.² Be at your spot beforehand, set up at a relaxed pace, and take test shots while the sky is still calm. When the light arrives, you will want nothing more than to shoot and make small adjustments, rather than digging through your bag for the remote shutter release.

Do not shoot nonstop. Take deliberate breaks to experience the show with your own eyes, without viewfinder or screen. Calmly reading the movement in the sky helps you catch the moment when an arc begins to unfold. And a northern light you truly saw will stay with you even if the shot did not turn out perfectly sharp in the end.

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You ask,we answer.

Which ISO for northern lights in Tromsø?

Around 1600 to 3200 to start. If the lights are bright or there is a lot of moon or snow light in the landscape, a lower value is enough.¹

Do I need a tripod?

Yes, for long exposures. Without a stable support any longer exposure will blur. If necessary, you can place your phone firmly on a stone or a railing.

Can I photograph northern lights with my phone?

Yes, with night mode and patience. Place the phone on a surface or use a small tripod, tap a bright spot in the sky, and then press the shutter.

Where do I photograph northern lights in Tromsø?

Around Telegrafbukta or Storsteinen. Telegrafbukta offers the shoreline as a foreground, Storsteinen the view over the city.⁶ ⁸

When are the lights most active?

Often between 20:00 and 02:00. They can appear throughout the night, but they are often most active in this window.²

Is there a photo tour in German?

Yes, with a professional photographer. It lasts 7 hours and is limited to 8 participants.

How do I protect my camera from the cold?

Keep spare batteries warm, warm up slowly. In winter the average temperature is around −4 °C.¹¹ Pack the camera in a closed bag before going inside.

Sources