Joonas Linkola’s 5 top tips for seeing and photographing Northern Lights

Ask people what they think of when they think of Finland and the likelihood is Northern Lights will be on the list. Lapland is home to the spectacle. It covers 100,366 km2 which is nearly a third of Finland’s entire area. Despite its size, the chilly far north has less than two people per km2. This might be why Northern Lights are considered a rare spectacle. Explorer and Northern Lights photographer Joonas Linkola disagrees.

Joonas has seen Northern Lights hundreds of times and recorded them. His work shows the aurora borealis in its typical glory. These are his top tips for discovering and photographing the phenomenon.

Visual inspiration

Joonas Linkola’s 5 top tips for seeing and photographing Northern Lights

1. Head to Finnish Lapland between September and March. The active season starts in autumn and continues until late winter.
2. Get away from light pollution. Darker skies are better. If the lights are strong, they are visible even in cities.
3. Watch the Aurora forecast. Use sites like www.aurora-service.eu or www.spaceweatherlive.com. A Kp index of 3 or more indicates a good chance of activity.
4. Prepare to wait. Gear up properly and bring warm drinks and snacks. A headlamp is necessary outside the city.
5. For photos, learn to take long exposures. Use settings between 4 and 10 seconds depending on the speed of the lights. A tripod and wide-angle lens are necessary.

The human eye versus the camera

Northern lights do not look the same in person as they do in pictures. Aurora usually takes time to appear in colour. It often starts as a rainbow-like arc across the sky. Human eyes struggle because the light is often too faint for colour-detecting cone cells. Some people claim to see shades of green, purple or pink, but it depends on the individual.

Modern DSLR cameras see the colours better. Long exposures record the movement of the dancing lights and create beautiful shapes. Bring a camera if you intend to watch the Polar Lights.