Suzanne Jones, Aurora Vortex (LANDSCAPE 2026)

I set out to create a star trail woven with aurora, hoping the southern lights would dance boldly through the long exposure. Instead, we were gifted only a faint red glow early in the evening, subtle and fleeting, but I find that restraint makes the final image even more compelling. The sweeping arc of the stars was captured over time, while the car and foreground were built from a series of shorter exposures, gently light painted with a torch to reveal texture without overpowering the night.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.