I’d been awake for two days. It all started the day before after I put the kids to bed. I got a Facebook message from Stefan Haworth. It turns out that he and Eden Brackstone were headed out for a little viewing of the big solar storm that was hitting the atmosphere.

Down thisaway, it’s called the Aurora Australis (not Borealis). Back then I’d never before seen an aurora (despite countless attempts in Iceland), I was ready to suit up!

And it turns out that one of the best places we saw them was right near here in Queenstown! We drove down along Lake Wakatipu until we were just past Wye Creek. I got out of the car, let my eyes adjust, then saw colored shafts of light shooting up through the edge of our snow-globe. It wasn’t like I expected! It’s…. hard to explain.

Aurora over Queenstown

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-07-15 08:06:50
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time15
• Aperture2.8
• ISO1600
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

As the seasons change the grassy fields around Queenstown and Arrowtown transform into a rainbow of hues, from soft yellows to vibrant greens you can even spot some fiery oranges and reds among the blades. It’s like a magic carpet of colors that invites you to explore and capture every nuance with your camera.

Walking Down to the Lake

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-02-10 11:36:40
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture11
• ISO200
• Focal Length20.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

The colors here go a little crazy when the clouds are in the sky! I’m not sure what it is… I think this very cold lake also does something to the air to make it a bit… thicker… or have more moisture in the air… or something!

Lake Wakatipu in the Late Sun

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-19 12:09:07
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/30
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length125.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Wandering through the fields one evening, the sunset wouldn’t quit! It just kept going and going… like a painting that changed every few minutes. And a few steps this way and that way would completely change the color situation on the bottom half of the photo. Honestly, there were not many bad combinations!

The Endless Fields of Queenstown

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-02-10 11:23:07
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture16
• ISO200
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1

This is not a new photo, but it’s one I took a number of years ago as soon as I got that Hasselblad. Nice, eh? I was still trying to figure out the camera, as the behavior was quite a bit different than my Sony. So, I spent a day traveling around the South Island here in New Zealand to try using the camera in a lot of different conditions. I took this over near Jack’s Point in Queenstown.

First Shot With the Hasselblad H5D

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-12-21 01:19:48
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/100
• Aperture16
• ISO100
• Focal Length42.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Every day during the lockdown in New Zealand, which I think only lasted about four weeks, I would go on an afternoon hike. I found myself drawn to this area again and again… these tiny little perfect pools of water… I actually took these with my mobile phone, although I don’t think most people would guess that in 100 years.

Lockdown Walk

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2020-04-15 12:06:44
• CameraPixel 4
• Camera MakeGoogle
• Exposure Time1/5900
• Aperture1.7
• ISO92
• Focal Length4.4 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias

One of my favorite things about having a quadcopter is that I can very quickly get a photo when the light gets interesting! This is the view from where I live here in Queenstown, and every night has a new set of light and clouds. I keep the quadcopter fully fueled and ready for action, just in case something like this presents itself!

A Moody Storm in Queenstown

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-11-27 21:17:04
• CameraFC6310
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/30
• Aperture2.8
• ISO160
• Focal Length8.8 mm
• FlashNo flash function
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias

When I turned 50, I had quite the party. And my friend Luke from Luma came out to decorate the whole thing with lights. How cool is this? I asked him if he could just leave it. Please leave it! Anyway, the party got a little loose. I knew there were two groups of people. The drinkers and the drug-takers. I was in the latter. Overall it split about 50/50. All the drunk people stayed at the main house and the most awesome people ended up out in the cabin. 😉 Twas epic!

50th party blowout bash!

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2021-04-10 20:28:01
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time10
• Aperture4
• ISO2000
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

No, not the K-pop band but a behind the scenes shot from my promo video for the Sotheby’s auction…

BTS from Coronet

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2022-04-24 17:20:02
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture4
• ISO100
• Focal Length96.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

While I was up at Coronet a few weeks ago there was a real variation in the lighting in the sky over the course of an hour or so. Here is one of the more interesting patterns that it made.

Moody Coronet

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2022-04-20 17:41:26
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/50
• Aperture4.5
• ISO100
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias