What to Wear and How to Photograph the Aurora in Fairbanks

Chasing the aurora in Fairbanks is a deep-winter game. The city sits at about 64.8 degrees north, tucked right under the auroral oval, which is why the northern lights appear here so often - frequently even on quiet nights when the geomagnetic activity is only Kp 1 or Kp 2. But the same clear, dark, high-latitude nights that make the lights so reliable also make them brutally cold. Temperatures routinely drop below 0 F, and you may be standing still outdoors for a long stretch waiting for the sky to ignite.

The two things that make or break an aurora night are staying warm enough to actually enjoy it and knowing how to capture it. Here is how to do both. (For when to come, see our guide on the best time for the northern lights in Fairbanks - the season runs roughly August 21 to April 21, so if you are reading this in the July midnight sun, treat it as planning for the coming winter.)

What to Wear: Dressing for Below Zero

The golden rule of Fairbanks winter dressing is layers, and the second rule is no cotton. Cotton holds moisture against your skin and will leave you cold and clammy. Build your outfit from the skin out:

• Thermal base layer. Merino wool or a synthetic base layer, top and bottom. This is your foundation - it wicks moisture and traps a first pocket of warm air.
• Insulated mid-layer. A fleece or a light down/synthetic sweater over the base to hold in heat.
• Insulated parka. A proper down or synthetic parka rated for extreme cold. This is not the place for a stylish city coat - you want serious insulation.
• Insulated snow pants or bibs. Your legs need the same protection as your torso. Insulated snow pants or bibs over your base layer make a huge difference.

Your extremities are where the cold wins first, so protect them aggressively:

• Head and face. A warm hat that fully covers your ears, plus a balaclava or neck gaiter to protect your cheeks, nose, and neck from wind.
• Hands - two layers. Wear a thin liner glove so you can operate a camera or phone without bare skin, and heavy insulated mitts over the top. Mitts keep fingers warmer than gloves because your fingers share heat. Slip the mitts off only briefly to fiddle with settings, then get them back on.
• Feet. Insulated, waterproof winter boots rated to well below zero, worn with thick wool socks. Do not double up socks so tightly that you cut off circulation.

A few small items punch far above their weight:

• Air-activated hand and toe warmers are worth their weight in gold. Tuck them into gloves and boots before you head out.
• Keep spare batteries warm. Cold drains camera and phone batteries fast. Stash spares in an inside pocket close to your body and swap them in as needed.

Most guided tours provide a warm indoor space - a heated cabin, lodge, or glass viewing house - so you can retreat and thaw between showings. Dress well enough, though, that you can step outside comfortably and stay out the moment the sky comes alive. You do not want to be scrambling for another layer while the best display of the night fades.

How to Photograph the Aurora

The aurora is faint and fast, and your eyes see it differently than a camera does. A long exposure is what pulls out the color and shape. Here is a beginner-friendly starting point.

With a DSLR or Mirrorless Camera

1. Use a tripod. A steady camera is non-negotiable for multi-second exposures.
2. Open the aperture wide. Set the widest your lens allows - somewhere in the f/1.4 to f/2.8 range - to gather as much light as possible.
3. Set ISO in the 1600-3200 range as a starting point. Drop toward 800 for a very bright, active aurora; push up to 6400 for faint displays.
4. Choose your shutter speed by how fast the lights move. Use 8 to 15 seconds for slow, drifting glows. For fast, dancing aurora, shorten to 3 to 5 seconds so the curtains do not blur into mush.
5. Focus manually to infinity. Autofocus fails in the dark, so switch to manual focus and set it on a bright star to lock infinity.
6. Shoot RAW for the most editing latitude, and use a wide-angle lens (14-24mm) to fit the sky and a foreground.
7. Trigger with a 2-second timer or a remote release so pressing the shutter does not shake the frame.

With a Smartphone

Modern phones are more capable than most people expect. A recent iPhone, Pixel, or Samsung can capture the aurora using Night mode.

• Steady the phone. Prop it on a small tabletop tripod or a solid surface and keep it completely still for the full exposure, which runs a few seconds.
• Turn off the flash.
• Go manual if you can. A pro/manual mode or a dedicated long-exposure app lets you dial in a longer exposure for stronger results.

Composition

Include a foreground for scale and story - spruce trees, a cabin, or a person under the lights. If you photograph a person, have them stay perfectly still during the exposure or they will blur.

One reassuring note: on a guided aurora tour, the guide usually takes long-exposure photos of you standing beneath the lights, so bringing your own gear is optional. If you would like to know exactly how that works, see how northern lights tours work.

Remember that the aurora is a natural phenomenon and is never guaranteed - even under a perfect Fairbanks sky. The best strategy is simply to give yourself the most chances by dressing warm, coming prepared, and staying out.

Ready to plan your night under the lights? Book a guided aurora tour with a warm base to return to and a guide who will capture your photos for you - so all you have to do is look up. Start at our homepage to plan the rest of your Fairbanks winter trip.