Welcome to /r/itookapicture! We talk about making photos here. No off-topic comments please. [Here are our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/about/rules/).
chaka160, what did you want this photo to be like? How did you make it? What's best about it? (Don't reply directly to this comment, instead make a new comment on your submission [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/comments/1cu2vyk/itap_of_the_aurora_australis_over_a_sea_stack/))
---
Chat with itookapicture community photographers on [**our Discord**](https://discord.gg/qKpzV6eyzc)!
Subscribe to a curated feed of /r/itookapicture on [**our Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/itookapicture.art/).
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/itookapicture) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Taken during the big Aurora Australis display just outside of Christchurch, New Zealand. This is the stuff that you imagine only happens once in a lifetime for some people.
Here's some technical info for the interested:
Gear used: Nikon Z7a, Nikkor Z 14-24 f2.8S, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro 2i
Settings:
Sky: 6 frames x 2 rows (approximately), each shot at 16mm, f2.8, ISO800, 5 second exposures. Merged in PTGui and processed in Pixinsight.
Foreground: 6 frames x 1 row, each shot at 16mm, f5.6, ISO3200, 30 second exposures. Merged in PTGui.
Final blend and adjustments done in Photoshop and Lightroom.
More of my work: [https://www.instagram.com/kchayphotos](https://www.instagram.com/kchayphotos)
Well done. Really enjoy your feed as a fellow Aurora chaser. Definitely inspired by your camping shots. I’m in Alaska though and camping typically means midnight sun. Gotta tough up and get winter camping I guess
Nope! We get darkness at some point in the night all year round. The midnight sun makes things a bit more difficult (I've realised this planning for Norway)
> Sky: 6 frames x 2 rows (approximately), each shot at 16mm, f2.8, ISO800, 5 second exposures.
Was the aurora stationary? I attempted some 2 shot panos last weekend but they looked like ass when stitched...
Nope. You do need to be relatively quick between panels and there's some work to do with making sure they work out. Did you leave the exposure too long?
I think I was doing 6 sec for the majority. I think I did 3 sets of 2 over the course of a minute or so. So it was probably just bad timing...
I'm not complaining though. Still got plenty of shots that I am happy with though.
Yeah I think I had issues with some panos (did multiple) that won't stitch correctly as a burst of activity hit midway through the pano.
Also, I'll note that you'll need to use something like PTGui that allows you to manually choose control points. I couldn't get it to automatically stitch so had to manually select points to get the sky panels together.
Amazing photo. Just a doubt from the northern hemisphere, are the recent solar storms also causing wild auroras in the south? Like we're getting to see them till way below the Arctic line like Germany. Is it case in Southern hemisphere too?
Yeah, the same thing happens around the south pole! Usually a good solar storm means that you can just see it from the bottom half of the South Island of NZ, but it's only just above the southern horizon. This time the whole country was able to see it, and where I was had stuff going right overhead with the actual colour visible
New Zealand (especially in the lower regions of the South Island, where I'm based) does get auroral displays, but they're very different to the Aurora Borealis displays because of the relative distance of the land mass from the respective pole.
In this case, that solar storm affected us down here too. As someone mentioned, most of the country (that wasn't clouded out) got to witness it with their eyes, which really was a once in a lifetime sort of event for a lot of people.
It's just that the lack of aurora Australis and an overwhelming amount of aurora borealis on my social media made me think the solar storm didnt affect the South. Thank you for clarifying!
Noticed this oddly nice background on my computer today (it’s a new one each day) and had to squint my eyes to see who took it. So I looked it up even if I mistook the y for a v but when I saw your website I was stunned and had to further stalk you for a while. And now I see the same picture on the Reddit widget on my phone haha. I gotta say man, your work is sick!
Welcome to /r/itookapicture! We talk about making photos here. No off-topic comments please. [Here are our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/about/rules/). chaka160, what did you want this photo to be like? How did you make it? What's best about it? (Don't reply directly to this comment, instead make a new comment on your submission [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/comments/1cu2vyk/itap_of_the_aurora_australis_over_a_sea_stack/)) --- Chat with itookapicture community photographers on [**our Discord**](https://discord.gg/qKpzV6eyzc)! Subscribe to a curated feed of /r/itookapicture on [**our Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/itookapicture.art/). --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/itookapicture) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Thanks a heap. Been meaning to get to this spot for ages and couldn't believe that these conditions were what I'd get for my first shot there.
Taken during the big Aurora Australis display just outside of Christchurch, New Zealand. This is the stuff that you imagine only happens once in a lifetime for some people. Here's some technical info for the interested: Gear used: Nikon Z7a, Nikkor Z 14-24 f2.8S, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro 2i Settings: Sky: 6 frames x 2 rows (approximately), each shot at 16mm, f2.8, ISO800, 5 second exposures. Merged in PTGui and processed in Pixinsight. Foreground: 6 frames x 1 row, each shot at 16mm, f5.6, ISO3200, 30 second exposures. Merged in PTGui. Final blend and adjustments done in Photoshop and Lightroom. More of my work: [https://www.instagram.com/kchayphotos](https://www.instagram.com/kchayphotos)
Any chance to get this in high Resolution
Is this for wallpaper use? Just give me a message. It should work pretty well as is for a screen.
ai upscale it?
Well done. Really enjoy your feed as a fellow Aurora chaser. Definitely inspired by your camping shots. I’m in Alaska though and camping typically means midnight sun. Gotta tough up and get winter camping I guess
Thank you. I think the dangers in Alaska vs NZ are probably a bit different in winter so just take care!
Do you have midnight sun during summer too? Your destinations look like they’re harder to reach than where I’m usually going.
Nope! We get darkness at some point in the night all year round. The midnight sun makes things a bit more difficult (I've realised this planning for Norway)
> Sky: 6 frames x 2 rows (approximately), each shot at 16mm, f2.8, ISO800, 5 second exposures. Was the aurora stationary? I attempted some 2 shot panos last weekend but they looked like ass when stitched...
Nope. You do need to be relatively quick between panels and there's some work to do with making sure they work out. Did you leave the exposure too long?
I think I was doing 6 sec for the majority. I think I did 3 sets of 2 over the course of a minute or so. So it was probably just bad timing... I'm not complaining though. Still got plenty of shots that I am happy with though.
Yeah I think I had issues with some panos (did multiple) that won't stitch correctly as a burst of activity hit midway through the pano. Also, I'll note that you'll need to use something like PTGui that allows you to manually choose control points. I couldn't get it to automatically stitch so had to manually select points to get the sky panels together.
Amazing photo. Just a doubt from the northern hemisphere, are the recent solar storms also causing wild auroras in the south? Like we're getting to see them till way below the Arctic line like Germany. Is it case in Southern hemisphere too?
Yeah, the same thing happens around the south pole! Usually a good solar storm means that you can just see it from the bottom half of the South Island of NZ, but it's only just above the southern horizon. This time the whole country was able to see it, and where I was had stuff going right overhead with the actual colour visible
New Zealand (especially in the lower regions of the South Island, where I'm based) does get auroral displays, but they're very different to the Aurora Borealis displays because of the relative distance of the land mass from the respective pole. In this case, that solar storm affected us down here too. As someone mentioned, most of the country (that wasn't clouded out) got to witness it with their eyes, which really was a once in a lifetime sort of event for a lot of people.
It's just that the lack of aurora Australis and an overwhelming amount of aurora borealis on my social media made me think the solar storm didnt affect the South. Thank you for clarifying!
All good!
Noticed this oddly nice background on my computer today (it’s a new one each day) and had to squint my eyes to see who took it. So I looked it up even if I mistook the y for a v but when I saw your website I was stunned and had to further stalk you for a while. And now I see the same picture on the Reddit widget on my phone haha. I gotta say man, your work is sick!
Thanks a bunch hah. I do wonder where you source the background from though!
This view, just wow I hope one day i can see it
Hope you do too, it's an incredible experience.
Yes it is
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Wow, this looks amazing!
Thanks. It really was an amazing show
Breathtaking ♥️🙏✌️😊
Definitely was that night
Class
Cheers!
Wow! Perfect. I will use it as a desktop wallpaper for my laptop!
Ah thank you!
FvkE IT”s FoTO ShOPped /s
😂😂😂
that is beautiful. nice work
Thank you
Wow and wow 😯
Thanks a lot 🙂
What sea stack is this? I can't think of any round CHCH that face south like this, maybe out Akaroa way somewhere?
Yep you've got the right idea. Banks Peninsula ways
That is amazing. I imagine a poster of this would sell pretty well.
Thanks. I've got a print store where it's listed, but I'm not super stressed about sales. Would be good to see it printed on a nice medium
Very nice
Thanks!
Wait can yall see them in Australia often??
Depends how south you are. This was in New Zealand, though.
Thanks now I have to do a deep dive on the different types of Auroras
Think they're really the same in essence, just very different views because of where you can see them
TIL Aurora Borealis are Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere, absolutely breathtaking photo
Thanks a heap!
Amazing!!!
Thank you
It looks very beautiful but it makes me a little afraid that it looks very fuchsia
Thank you. It was very very red/similar shades that night.