How to photograph them?

"In truth, I'd say the main difficulty stems not so much from the struggle the environment creates as from a lack of technical knowledge."

● Shooting settings · cheat sheet

Yiğit's typical settings

ModeManual (M)

Aperturef/2.8

Shutter8 — 30 s

ISO800 — 1600

FormatRAW

WB3500 K

FocusInfinity (manual)

Format14mm — 24mm

If Kp is 5+, drop the shutter to 4 s — so the curtain's motion doesn't blur. If it's cloudy, don't push the ISO; spiking grain kills the frame.

Using a tripod properly.

It's impossible to hold your hand perfectly still for 15–30 seconds. The slightest tremor makes the photo come out blurred.

× Don't

Leaning on a flat rock
Sinking the tripod into the snow and leaving it
Holding a carbon tripod with bare hands (it freezes)
Raising the centre column (it vibrates)

○ Do

Drive the tripod feet into firm ground
Add weight by hanging your bag from the tripod's centre
Trigger the shutter with a cable/remote release
Tape the part you touch with gloves

Infinity focus matters.

Autofocus is useless in the dark. Put the lens in manual mode and, keeping the infinity mark (∞) on the most distant light, fine-tune in small steps. If zooming in on a distant sign won't sharpen, the focus has drifted.

Time-lapse shooting.

frames that hold

4 minutes

So you can clearly view the motion of the northern lights afterwards.