At Hotel Rangá we offer a wake-up call for our guests so that they won’t miss the lights if they show up during the night – we recommend signing up at the front desk.
- If you request a wake-up call when we see the lights, please use your room phone to sign up for the northern lights wake up call with our front desk.
- Have your clothes and camera gear prepared – the call could come while you are asleep and it’s best to respond quickly.
- Dress in multiple, warm layers as your body will cool down quickly while standing still outside in the cold night.
- The lights are most commonly seen in the general direction of north. If you don‘t have a room with a north-facing balcony, please come out to the front porch.
- Have the camera ready, use your fastest wide-angle lens, the ISO (ASA) number from 500-1600, F- stop wide open or largest, and on a good tripod.
- When exposing, you will have to experiment with times from 5 seconds to half a minute.
- Keep in mind that the Northern Lights will come and go. Should they disappear, they will probably reappear within 30-60 minutes. If not, they will show up later, most often when we are back in bed.
Checklist for the more serious amateur photographer when photographing the Northern Lights
- Shoot in RAW format.
- Turn on Long Exposure Noise Reduction.
- Set LCD Brightness to low.
- Remove the filter from your lens.
- Pre-focus your lens on infinity or use live-view with a loupe.
- Test exposure, consult histogram.
- Have 2 batteries and 2 flashcards.
- Use a tall but sturdy tripod.
- Use a cable release (not a wireless one).
- Check the aurora forecasts.
- Scout a location in daylight.
- Don’t breathe on your viewfinder.
- Use your lens hood to protect against frost/condensation on your lens.
- While waiting for Aurora, point your camera lens down to prevent frost from gathering on the glass.
- Have a Luminex cleaning cloth accessible to clean frost from the lens if needed.
- Put black tape over your red processing light under the wheel (for Canon users-your fellow photographers will like you).
- Please note that if you forgot your tripod, we have some extras in the reception.