Modern iPhones capture the aurora beautifully — you don't need a DSLR. The trick is Night mode, a steady mount, and locking focus.
Here's the exact method our guides show guests.
Settings that work
- Open the Camera; Night mode switches on automatically in the dark (moon icon)
- Tap the Night mode icon and drag the slider to the maximum exposure (up to 10–30s)
- Turn flash off
- Keep the phone perfectly still for the whole exposure
Use a mount
A 10–30 second exposure will blur if handheld. A small tripod or even propping the phone on a fence post transforms your shots. Use the 3-second timer so tapping the screen doesn't shake it.
Lock the focus
Tap a distant bright star or light and hold to lock focus/exposure (AE/AF Lock), then slightly lower the exposure if the shot is too bright.
Shoot in RAW if you can
On Pro models, enable Apple ProRAW for more editing latitude. Otherwise the standard Night mode JPEG is still excellent. For deeper control see our camera settings guide.