Witnessing the May 2024 Aurora: My Journey and Success
On Saturday, the 11th of May 2024, a powerful G5 geomagnetic solar storm occurred. This remarkable event generated spectacular and vibrant Aurora Australis displays across the Southern Hemisphere, which were clearly visible throughout New Zealand. In the days leading up to the storm, both news media outlets and social media pages were actively predicting that this would be a rare, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, capturing the anticipation and excitement of many observers.
Late afternoon on the Saturday, a group of us from the Marlborough Camera Club met up for a beer at a nearby pub to catch up and discuss photography. The topic of the Aurora was brought up and quickly became the center of a lengthy discussion. As early evening approached, it was just myself and one other member left at the pub, still engaged in debating whether it was worthwhile to go out and try to view and photograph the Aurora that night. By that stage, the local Facebook pages had started to get flooded with stunning photos of the Aurora, some even taken from people’s backyards right in central Blenheim. A decision then had to be made: do we drive about 45 minutes to Ward Beach, a location known for its dark skies and minimal light pollution, or do we opt for Rarangi Beach, which was only a short 15-minute drive away but known to have quite a bit of light pollution? After weighing the options, we decided to make the shorter journey to Rarangi Beach, feeling that the best vantage point would be at Blue Gum Corner. It turned out that hundreds of other people in Blenheim had the same idea, but we were fortunate enough to find a carpark just about 100 meters from the beach, making it convenient to get to our spot quickly.
Being my very first time viewing and photographing the Aurora Australis, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect or how the experience would unfold. We arrived down at the beach just before 7pm, and by that stage, the Aurora was already quite bright, with vivid green and magenta colours painting the night sky. Earlier in the day, a member of my Marlborough camera club had kindly shared some ideal camera settings specifically suited for capturing the Aurora's delicate and dynamic light. After setting up my Sony A6100 APSC cropped sensor camera on my tripod, I had to decide between two lens options: the Sony 35mm f1.8 and the Samyang 12mm f2 lens. I began with the Sony lens, but there was a significant amount of light pollution coming from the nearby houses at the beach. Since the Aurora was so bright, combined with the artificial lights, my initial camera settings resulted in overexposed images that didn’t capture the scene properly. It took a fair bit of trial and error, adjusting settings carefully until I found the optimal exposure for the conditions. Later, I switched to the Samyang 12mm lens, an ultra-wide-angle lens designed and optimised specifically for astrophotography, which allowed me to capture more of the expansive sky and the shimmering Aurora. I was very pleased with the final images I captured. The photo I took using the Samyang 12mm lens was then submitted to the 2024 New Zealand Amateur Photography Awards, where it received the accolade of Highly Commended, which was a rewarding recognition of the effort that went into photographing this beautiful natural phenomenon.
The monthly topic for the Marlborough Camera Club in October 2025 was Astrophotography. The judge for this particular topic was Brendan Larsen, a talented landscape photographer based in New Plymouth, New Zealand, who specializes in landscape astrophotography. I entered the image shown below, which I captured using my Sony 35mm lens, into the monthly Camera Club competition. To my surprise, the image not only received an award of honours but was also named Image of the Month. I felt both humbled and delighted to receive such recognition for my work. In an email to the Marlborough Camera Clubs competition secretary, Brendan Larsen suggested I get this photo printed and hanging on my wall. I have already chosen a specific spot on the wall where I plan to hang the print.
Below is the awarded image, and I have also included Brendan Larsen’s thoughtful critique and feedback on my photograph.
The 11th of May 2024 Aurora could well have been a once in a lifetime event. After lots of careful debate and consideration, I was genuinely happy that I had the opportunity to witness the Aurora first hand and to capture photographs of it that I am truly proud of.
Aurora Australis Image taken on 11th of May 2024 at 7.12pm. Camera Settings Used: - Aperture f2.8, Shutter Speed 8s, ISO 640.
Brendan Larsen’s Critique of My Image
Once in a lifetime shot from the May Aurora. Good definition in the aurora with strong rays and a good mix of colour without being too oversaturated. Foreground is interesting with the lights in the houses. I wonder how many of the people in those houses had no idea of the incredible display happening outside at the very moment?! Usually, the light pollution from the houses would overpower the image, but because that aurora was so strong and so bright, it means that the house lights aren't very bright compared to the brightness of the aurora. We may never get another aurora that strong in our lifetimes, but you never know. The image is well edited. The only thing I'd possibly do to improve the image a bit is to increase the clarity very slightly.