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What a night of aurora photography!

Well last night was an absolute epic night of aurora photography! I wasn’t really expecting a show but as usual I checked my app after dinner only to see that the Bz was sitting pretty at -20 and a sighting was basically guaranteed. After somewhat hastily (and hopefully not too rudely!) excusing ourselves from a couple of very generous friends that had invited us over for dinner I bolted for home, grabbed my gear and made a bee line for Seven Mile Beach which is quite close and always serves as my default location if I haven’t had enough time to plan an outing somewhere.

The results were as follows:

Aurora Australis Photography Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3485)

Aurora photography Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3488)

Aurora photography Southern Lights Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3493)

Aurora Australis Photography Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3495)

Aurora Photography Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3498)

Aurora Australis Southern Lights Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3500)

Aurora Australis photography Tasmania

Aurora at Seven Mile Beach Jan 7 2015 (3504)

Aurora Photography with a full moon

This evening had a few unique points at play which had an interesting effect on the aurora photography. The main factor was the full moon rising as the evening wore on, coupled with the lingering twilight. Basically I was able to use a low ISO (800) and short shutter speed (10 seconds) meaning the beams kept their shape better and of course the images wont be suffering from any high ISO noise issues. This was definitely one of the most beautiful auroras I have photographed, and a great way to start 2015!

Here is the timelapse video for you 🙂

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About Luke

Luke O'Brien runs a stall at Hobart's popular Salamanca Market every Saturday where his prints and cards are available for purchase. Follow Luke's photographic adventures on Twitter at @lukeobrienphoto, at his Facebook page or by subscribing to his email newsletter.

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