How to Photograph the Northern Lights

How to Photograph the Northern Lights (second edition)

Text and photography by Patrick J. Endres

with aurora science notes by Neal Brown


If photographing the northern lights (aurora borealis) is on your bucket list, then this book is a must for you. Wonderfully illustrated, this 280-page eBook is a comprehensive and thorough guide that will equip you with the information necessary to capture your own photos of the northern lights.


Two long-time Alaskans and specialists in their fields have teamed up to create this resource. Professional photographer Patrick J. Endres, one of Alaska's most prominently published nature photographers, has mined the secrets of his two-decade career of aurora photography and outlined them in great detail, providing you with critical information to ensure your aurora photo quest is successful. Scientist and aurora specialist Neal Brown supplies the answers in layman’s language to often-asked questions about the aurora in his science notes sprinkled throughout the book.


The chapters contain a blend of technical and creative information that both the beginner and professional photographer will find invaluable. Topics discussed include where to go, when to go, what time is best, working in the cold, what camera and lens to use, aurora forecasts, composition, how to expose, moon and moonlight, and much more. The text is augmented with more than 150 of Patrick's luminous aurora photos, thoughtful quotes, and many illustrations, graphs, and figures to instruct you in the do's and don'ts of nighttime aurora borealis photography.


Patrick says: “Over the years I've seen countless errors made when photographing the aurora. This book equips both the beginning and professional photographer with all the necessary insider information to skip those costly mistakes—and offers the inspiration for the armchair photographer to get out there and explore the night skies on their own—you can do it.”