Corona!

On October 11th we were forecast to be hit with another large solar storm and yet again we were treated to another incredible aurora display. Throughout the day I’d been monitoring the auroral Kp index which was hitting some decent numbers, Kp7 and even as high as Kp8! I was getting quite excited, praying the numbers would hold until darkness.  

Around sunset the Kp index was still hovering around Kp7 so I decided to head up a local mountain, Ben Lomond, which overlooks Queenstown. There was a composition up there I’d spotted earlier in the year which I wanted to use for an aurora. It was a bit of a rush to get where I wanted to be but I made it to be set up ready for darkness. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this solar storm, as I’ve already mentioned the numbers were high enough for a decent aurora, but there was a 46.6% moon sitting high in the sky, also had a fair bit of broken cloud to contend with.  

For the first hour of darkness there was a huge green haze filling the sky, fairly bright even to the naked eye, but not really any beams that I’d been hoping for. The conditions reminded me of what we experienced back in May this year, which turned out to be an incredible night of aurora activity. With this in mind, I remained hopeful we’d get some decent activity.  

Sure enough the activity in the sky started to pick. I was now seeing strobing light flashing rapidly all over the sky, steadily increasing in intensity, to the point it was like waves crashing through the sky. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I defiantly wasn’t expecting for what happened next! The sky erupted with massive beams of light, forming a corona directly above my head. The colour was so intense even with a bright moon, and totally visible to the naked eye. I did wonder what it would have been like without the moon.  

The corona didn’t last too long, but I was buzzing about what I’d just witnessed! I also knew I had some shots I’d never imaged possible in New Zealand prior to this year

Even with the corona gone we still had another hour of incredible aurora activity. The entire sky before me was alive with beams of light dancing through the darkness. A truly memorable experience! 

Huge aurora for a lucky client!

It appears that 2024 will be remembered for its massive aurora displays! Not only did we experience a massive storm on May 11th, but we were also treated to another magical display last week on August 12th. And I’ve no doubt that the lucky client I had booked for an astrophotography tour that night had an unforgettable experience. 

Starting the night with a 40% moon, I knew we'd have a difficult time shooting the Milky Way. Despite being informed of this, my client was still keen to head out. Luckily there was some auroral activity, and with a Kp-index of 7, if conditions held, we’d be in for a good night. 

At our first location, the night began with a faint aurora glow on the horizon. Nothing spectacular, but a nice point of interest in our photographs. Then while driving to our next location, I noticed that the sky had brightened significantly, and making an unplanned stop at a viewpoint on the side of the road we witnessed our first auroral beams of the night.  

With some decent aurora shots and big smiles, we continued on to Meikle John's Bay, excited for what appeared to be a strengthening aurora display. Lady aurora didn’t disappoint! Treating us to magical green swirls and beams of light. My client was getting a night to remember. 

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Bringing us towards the end of our night we stopped at one more location. There was still some auroral activity, but it had seemed to have died down somewhat and after reflecting on the night we’d had decided to call it a night, or so we thought. While we were loading our equipment into the car, the sky suddenly lit up with an intense amount of light and colour. There were auroral beams everywhere! And completely visible with the naked eye! Fortunately, it lasted long enough for us to quickly set up and capture some truly stunning images. What a night! And what a lucky client! 

Bringing us towards the end of our night we stopped at one more location. There was still some auroral activity, but it seemed to have died down somewhat and after reflecting on the night we’d had decided to call it a night, or so we thought. While we were loading our equipment into the car, the sky suddenly lit up with an intense amount of light and colour. There were auroral beams everywhere! And completely visible with the naked eye! Fortunately, it lasted long enough for us to quickly set up and capture some truly stunning images. What a night! And what a lucky client! 

What is lightpainting?

Lightpainting is a type of long exposure photography that use’s light emitting tools to create visually stunning images. The term “Lightpainting” refers to moving a light source in front of the camera lens while keeping the cameras shutter open, and the camera will record the movement of your light source or lightpainting.

My journey into the art of lightpainting photography began with the discovery of an image by a photographer named Eric Pare. His image was shot on a dried salt lake, with a model silhouetted by a light painted disc and a milkyway background. Astrophotography has always been my first love in photography, and seeing it combined with lightpainting was stunning!

Eric’s technique of spinning a light tube has become one of my favored ways to lightpaint. It enables me to quickly illuminate a scene and model. The tubes can also be easily modified too. In this recent image, for example, I’ve attached some tinsel down the length of my light tube to create a more textured effect.

A fiber optic brush is another lightpainting tool that I really enjoy using. There are two kinds of fiber optic brushes: white and black. A white fiber optic illuminates the entire length of its bristles and, despite its name. its colour can be easily changed using lighting gels. The black fiber optic brush, on the other hand, is black all the way down the length of its bristles and only illuminates the tips.

If you have a subject you want to lightpaint quickly, the white fiber optic brush is a great option. In a lightpainting, usually, you want to avoid subject movement because it can result in a double silhouette, which can ruin the effect that you’re trying to achieve. The amount of light emitted by a white fiber optic allows me to quickly and effectively fill a space.

Lightpainting an aerialist suspended from silks.

This an excellent example of the advantages of a white fiber optic brush. Becouse my model is suspended from silks while posing, I had to lightpaint the space as quickly as possible while maintaining a dynamic effect.

The black fiber optic brush is a lot of fun. Because the brush is only illuminated at the tips, you have far more control and can be quite creative. Weather I’m creating dreamy wings or a dynamic head shot, the results I get with the black fiber optic never fail to impress.

Black fiber optic for headshots.

I lightly brushed my subject’s face with the black fiber optic brush to create thin veins of light, being careful to only illuminate the parts of his face I want visible, then added an explosion of light for a bit more impact at the top of his head.

While we are only scratching the surface of the lightpainting world here, I wanted to emphasis is a very enjoyable and creative aspect of photography that I’m grateful to have discovered. Please contact me if you are interested in collaborating on a project. I’m sure it’ll be a good time.

Biggest aurora I’ve ever witnessed.

On the 28th February we were treated with the most magical display of aurora australis here in Queenstown. I’ve been lucky enough to see and photograph the aurora on a number of occasions while living here, but this display was by far the biggest and brightest I’ve seen so far.

The news of this incoming solar storm had been well publish on various social media groups and created quite a buzz around town. This resulted in many people being out that night eager to catch a glimpse of this spectacular natural phenomenon making it a little challenging to find dark locations without being disturbed by torch lights.

I wasn’t sure how much of a display we’d get on the night due to the first quarter moon. But knowing it would set around midnight I had to get out to see what I could capture. Turns out the moon didn’t make too much difference, the strength of this solar storm powered through. The above image was captured at around 10:45pm, the moment the aurora really kicked into action producing strong beams visible to the naked eye. I remember being very excited at this point, covered in goosebumps and dancing around like a crazy man.

The night created many opportunities for beautiful night sky photography. I also managed to get a composition with a sculpture I’ve been trying to get a pleasing shot of for years. I’ve shot it with the rising milky way and star trails but never been completely happy with what I got. It seems all I needed was for it to be back lit with an Aurora!

All in all it was an incredible night! Those who were out are not going to forget it in a hurry. I came back with a memory card packed with beautiful images which will be edited and added to my social media channels in the near future. The better one’s will be added to my website.

Milkyway season 2023 begins.

The launch of this blog coincides with the start of the milkyway season, so naturally the first instalment is my first milkyway shot of the 2023 season. 

Many people ask if it's possible to see the milkyway in Queenstown and I’m glad to be able tell you that the answer is yes, it is possible to see the milkyway here in Queenstown. The best times to see or photograph the milkyway is February though until November. In February the milkyway core rises up out of the east and gradually rises higher and higher into the night sky throughout our winter months before eventually setting in the west as we run into spring.  

Bannockburn sluicing’s.

This image was captured in the Bannockburn sluicing's trail, a short drive from Queenstown. I’d walked this trail earlier in the summer and knew the location would provide some epic night shots. The whole area is a mixture of cliffs and pinnacles which have been forged by water blasting the land in the search for gold.

If your here visiting Queenstown, or plan to visit Queenstown, I’d love to take you out and show you what our night sky has to offer. While out on one of my tour’s I’ll take you through all the steps to create incredible night sky image’s for yourself and also offer advise for planning and editing your images. Interested? Head over to my contact us page and send me a message. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!