“It feels like it is just you and the whole universe, right there in front of you,” says Danish photographer Mads Peter Iversen. Over his years as a landscape photographer, Mads has witnessed and photographed the natural spectacle many, many times. However, it still humbles him and reminds us of how small our planet and everyone on it is.

When Mads heads out with his Sony Alpha 7R V, it is just the final stage in his process of capturing the Northern Lights. “As a landscape photographer, I do a lot of location scouting,” says Mads. “Some locations work better than others for photographing Northern Lights. Generally, the Northern Lights are better seen towards the north, so you need to align whatever composition and foreground interest to be visible looking from the south to the north. But it is also important to have space in the composition from east to west, just in case the lights start exploding all around.

The need to place the phenomena within a landscape context is one reason that Mads generally shoots with super-wide-angle lenses. “I use the Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM and 20mm f/1.8 G lenses as they allow me to incorporate the Northern Lights into a composition in a landscape. If the lights are active and take up much of the sky above, then I will go with the 14mm. If they are a little more concentrated, for example, only in the north, I will use the 20mm lens.”

The key feature of the two lenses is the f/1.8 aperture, which allows lots of light to reach the sensor. However, the fact that they are G lenses is important to Mads as that stamp of quality guarantees that the images will be sharp from corner to corner. ‘It makes them great lenses for astrophotography’, continues Mads ‘It means that the sharpness is great so that all the stars come out perfectly.’

How Mads sets up the exposure of his Alpha 7R V depends on how fast the Northern Lights move, but it always starts at the same point. “Usually, I start with an ISO sensitivity of ISO 3200 and use the maximum f/1.8 aperture.” Then, using his years of experience, he has learnt to use an initial five-second shutter speed. “From that starting point, I use the histogram on my Alpha 7R V to evaluate whether I am over or under-exposing. I may raise the sensitivity to ISO 6400 to use a faster shutter speed to freeze the lights more. But, generally, I work between ISO 1600 and 6,400 and aim to get my shutter speed as fast as possible.”

In October 2024, Mads had the opportunity to photograph the Northern Lights in Denmark in a powerful display that was seen across Europe in locations much further south than usual. “It was magical,” he remembers. “We do get the Northern Lights here a few times a year, but on that night, it was just a massive explosion. Being there, in that location, I felt like a kid in a candy shop.”

On that night, Mads found himself taking photos of a windmill, with the vivid colour of the lights in the sky above and behind, making the silhouette of the windmill stand out. “I used the flip-out tilt screen of the Alpha 7R V, so that I could easily get a low-angle shot looking up at the windmill and the sky. It is one of the great features of the camera for landscape and astrophotographers compared to its predecessors.”

The stunning images that Mads created that night in October perfectly represent the joy of shooting the Northern Lights. There is satisfaction in seeing the final pictures after so much planning and preparation has gone into a shoot.

“I am always checking the short and long-term predictions of solar activity’ says Mads. “The more solar winds and solar activity, the greater the chance of seeing the Northern Lights. But everything still must align with the weather. If there are clouds, you won’t see the lights as they are higher up in the Earth’s atmosphere. So, planning and waiting for the right conditions is a big part, and you never know what the display will be like until you are there shooting.”

It is a magical experience for Mads; “If everything aligns, you get the twin reward of both being able to experience it in the moment and capture an image in a special location,” he concludes.