So... You Wanna Photograph the Northern Lights

The northern lights are one of the great unicorns of the photography world. Researching how to find them can sound as complicated as entropy. Luckily, this video breaks down everything you need to know about analyzing the science behind hunting the auroras.

Having been that photographer that has run off to a dark spot in the middle of nowhere because the weatherman told me to was a total life regret. I had Aurora FOMO, it’s a thing. Wasting my time and resources made me feel no less than a moron. Thinking to myself, why did I listen to a guy who gets paid to be wrong? Simply, I should have done my homework to understand this beautiful beast. In all actuality, there is quite of bit of data that goes into predicting the auroras both in the Northern (aurora borealis) and Southern (aurora australis) hemispheres.

Regretfully returning home the next morning, I started consulting with the internet and with others. Soon I learned a basic trick of the trade to predict one of nature’s sexiest phenomena. Since then I have had the luxury of seeing them upwards of ten plus times in my life. Believe it or not, you do not have to go to take an expensive vacation to Iceland, Finland, or Norway to see them. Residing in the United States, Northern Minnesota has one of the few dark sky sanctuaries in the country and is one of few in the world. Being only a three-hour drive from Minneapolis provides ample opportunity to see them.

With such ample opportunity, I have gotten picky about the times to set out and photograph the lights. Which why I have searched for an in-depth guide to learn how to predict them better and Mads Peter Iversen has the best guide on the internet. His ultimate guide goes into the best amount of detail without too much detail. The auroras are complicated and if you follow Mads Peter Iversen's suggestions you will likely be able to experience them and omit the moronic dark field wasted night from your life story.