http://ift.tt/1pDhKdJ It was about 10pm on the top of Mount Cook and we had all retreated to the hut for some wine and cards after a successful evening of shooting, when I decided to leave my camera sitting on the mountain for some star trails (yet to come). An hour or so had passed and with the temp still dropping I thought I should carefully venture back out onto the mountain to check the progress of my shots. I arrived at my camera under torchlight and having not looked to the sky, I started to check through my collection of photos when I noticed a strange pink glow appearing on some of the images. This was my first time using Nikons new D810 for a star trail and my immediate speculation was that the cold was causing some type of sensor burn. It was then that I noticed the red tinge I was seeing was NOT only in my image but also in the sky in front of me. This was the Aurora Australis!!! ..and as quickly as that the dim red glow disappeared. Photographing an Aurora has for many years been at the very top of my list and only a few days earlier Rob had been educating me on the recent global geomagnetic storm (Kp) index measurements over the Southern Alps so I knew a possibility existed but hadn’t given it much more consideration. I returned to the hut and told the guys about my discovery and hoped that my camera (which was shooting outside) would catch a re-appearance of these famous southern lights. This is potentially one of my proudest shots, not only because it worked but because I had been blessed with the privilege of experiencing one of the worlds most breathtaking natural wonders in one of the most scenic of locations. via 500px http://ift.tt/1tgsqCB
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