Watching the aurora borealis in -27F temperatures

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Fairbanks, Alaska, and even trekked further north into the small town of Wiseman inside the Arctic Circle to witness the northern lights. Wiseman, 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle, is nearly entirely off the grid and has a year-round population of nine.

Yes, you read that correctly. Nine whole people live there year-round. (They're easily outnumbered by sled dogs.) Both Fairbanks and Wiseman offer some of the best chances to see the northern lights in the world.

In Wiseman, I stayed at the Arctic Hive, a Yoga, Hiking, and Aurora Hunting gem that borders Gates of the Arctic National Park. It's run by Mollie and Sean, who built their seven-building retreat by hand. Yes, they carried the wood up on their backs and built it on their own. They hosted me for a couple of nights before going back to Fairbanks. It was a phenomenal experience, and living life under zero for a few days really humbled me. The fact you have to get dressed to the T just to walk outside to pee is something this Arizona boy never once had to experience growing up!

My time in Wiseman and Fairbanks was absolutely incredible, and the views blew me away!

So what is it like to see the northern lights in negative temps?

Very amazing and very cold. My toes were almost always cold, and my fingers burned within 20 seconds of being out of my globes.

Now, some of that was a personal error. I did a lousy job preparing as I brought my waterproof hiking boots, but I quickly learned that those were not insulated, and my toes got cold fast. By my third night chasing the aurora, I had double socks and foot warmers on both the top and bottom. This change made life so much more bearable.

If you plan to really be out there for long stretches, you need insulated winter boots. As for my hands, they did an okay job. It is hard when you need to be able to control your camera, as you're either taking it out of the glove or needing a globe that is more flexible and less warm.

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I honestly don't think there's a good way to do photography in negative anything and be "warm."

Otherwise, my body itself was great. Depending on the night, I had three, four, or five layers, along with a beanie and facemask. If only I had better boots, I would have been content!

What Did it feel like to see a Corona?

A corona is when the northern lights explode directly above you. It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life, but I did not do an excellent job capturing it because it was everywhere, and I couldn't decide what to do. Furthermore, any photographer knows that shooting directly above a tripod is not exactly easy or natural.

But from a non-photo mindset, it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. The entire sky was illuminated with dancing lights, and I was in utter shock.

I think I yelled, "Oh my God, oh my God," for five straight minutes.

After seeing it, I honestly believe everyone should book a trip to see the Northern Lights. It's so freaking cool!

Your Camera Should Be Fine

If you're wondering how a camera will handle being in such a cold area, it worked fine! However, and this is key, you cannot bring your camera inside after being out in the cold for a while. It'll fog up and become inoperable until it warms up. So, if you're taking a break to get warm, leave your camera outside.

But when you are done, put it in a gallon-sized ziploc back and bring some moisture absorption packets.

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Photo Tips for the Northern Lights

Camera Settings

If the lights are dancing, you want to do shorter exposures in case you want to use them in a timelapse later. This means aiming for 2-4 second long exposures with a f/stop of 2.8 or lower. As for ISO, aim for 1600-2000.

When the lights start going crazy, you can drop your ISO as the light will be brighter, and you can dim your artificial light.

You'll also want to be in manual focus unless the lights are extremely bright - in that case, you should be able to lock onto a subject.

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Tripod Issues

In this cold, I couldn't get the ball head of my tripod to stay still, and it kept moving slightly. Then, the tripod was also moving in the snow. These small movements caused some images to blur, which is frustrating! (I asked some locals, and they said the cold issue is what happens, and you can't really avoid it!)

If I lived in Fairbanks, I would figure out the best ones. But alas, -20F isn't a common thing in my life.

What I shot with

Canon r5 (23% off right now) - Get it here.​

Canon 16-35 f/2.8 - Get it here. ​

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​I included more photos in this link. ​

Gear Corner

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