Aurora

I had always wanted to see an aurora from this location as I grew up spending many afternoons on the sides of these towering sand dunes. It required precise timing and the conditions to line up perfectly to make this possible.

I remember feeling the anticipation building as I saw the solar levels continue to increase as we made the long journey from home towards this beach. Taking a bushwalk in the late afternoon to get to our spot, we arrived just on dusk and the aurora was already visible despite the fading sunlight. A little later in the evening, at the moment this image was captured, I was the only person taking photos on the entire beach. The aurora was so huge I didn’t know where to look. The light was pulsing high into the sky and the beams were reflected in the ocean. I was fortunate to also be able to capture the bioluminescence near the shoreline and the lighthouse casting a beacon into the distance. We stayed on the dunes taking photos and marvelling at the aurora until 3am.

This image is a mosaic made up of 14 photographs. Taken on the Tasman Peninsula.

24mm  •  2 seconds  •  f/2  •  ISO 3200

This image is a mosaic made up of 16 photographs. Taken at the top of Mount Wellington / kunanyi.

24mm  •  5 seconds  •  f/2  •  ISO 4000

Sometimes the window for seeing an aurora is very small. Being alert to these moments can mean the difference between missing out and seeing what no one has ever seen before. This image is a panorama created from four photographs. Taken in Tasmania’s pristine Central Highlands.

24mm  •  8 seconds  •  f/2  •  ISO 4000