BOLTS of lightning break across the sky, the layers of cloud illuminated. A mesocyclone nicely defined.
It’s a stunning ominous supercell thunderstorm captured by Anna Carson, production designer by day and photographer by night. It’s also August in the Bureau of Meteorology’s 2025 Australian Weather Calendar.
“My family had had an emotional day the night I took that photo. We had to have our 14-year-old pooch put down,” Anna recalled.
“I could see lightning flashes off in the distance, so headed out the door and took myself to the end of our road.
"The storm front was in the distance, moving over. I didn't mind just standing there in peace, watching it come across and catching the strikes on camera.
“It just felt like one of those lucky shots… right place, right time!”
It may have been one of those lucky shots, but there are years of experience behind the stunning photographs that fill Anna’s portfolio.
“I don’t remember picking up a camera, it’s just something that has always been there.
“My grandparents loved their photography, so I guess at some point I was just handed a camera to have a go. I can remember coming home from family holidays and having my film developed, and then my Nanna would offer constructive feedback.
“You didn’t quite capture that at the right time of day”, or “Your horizon is a bit crooked love”… I still struggle with that!” Anna laughs.
But that guidance steered Anna to find a passion she loves and a world of aurora, storm and astro photography.
“Auroras weren’t something I knew anything about until I stumbled across the concept one day on my social media feed. The night I captured my first Aurora my youngest daughter was six months old, and I was actually sitting on the bedroom floor of my 18-month-old daughter’s room waiting for her to go to sleep. I was scrolling Facebook and there was a suggestion the Aurora could be seen that night.
“Not knowing anything about it, my partner convinced me to go for a drive to the end of Punchbowl Road and see what I could get.
“I figured I would go out get a photo of the Aurora and that would be it – ticked off the bucket list. Here I am now, nine years later still photographing them!”
It was mid-October when Anna shot her first aurora and at that time the Galactic Core of the Milky Way was low on the western horizon; creeping into her photos.
Thus, her astrophotography passion was founded.
“Most auroras and the intricate details of the stars aren’t something the human eye can always see, so I think for me it comes back to that magical feeling you get and that “wow” moment when you see an image appear on the LCD screen on the back of the camera – much like the image appearing on the photo paper in the dark room. It’s the same feeling for lightning strikes and storms too. They happen so fast, and it’s a buzz when you nail capturing it on camera.”
And whilst film and days spent in a dark room fill Anna’s memories of learning the trade, and still hold a special place in her heart, digital also has its home.
“I started out learning on my grandparent's 20-year-old SLR camera which was fully manual. I would shoot mostly black and white film and complete my own processing and development in the dark room. This process is what really drew me in. There was something magical about watching your images gradually appear on the photo paper while floating in the developer tray under a red light.”
Inspired by black and white landscape master Ansel Adams whilst studying, Anna now takes inspiration and learnings from fellow photographers.
“(Adams) would have a final image in his mind as he pressed the shutter, and he knew while on location exactly what he was going to do in the darkroom to achieve his final image, and he knew how to push the limits of the medium. There is a lot of stigma in today’s world about “photoshopping” our images, but in reality, all we have done is swap the darkroom for a computer screen.
“Adams manipulated his images in the darkroom through processing techniques, filters, dodging and burning to achieve his results, now we do that inside a computer program.”
And whilst Anna shudders at some of her early work, it has all built her into the competent skilled photographer she is today, though a few black and white landscapes developed by hand still hold a special place in her heart.
“I have many stories to tell from my (photography) adventures. A few dropped and broken lenses, I’ve been chased by herds of cattle, scared by an echidna rustling in the bushes at night and ankle-deep in freezing water to name but a few.
“I (also) took a bad fall one night at the wreak of SS Speke, ended up pretty bruised and sore, but most importantly, I saved my camera!”
Whilst wild weather has most hunkered down inside, Anna recalls the storm that would eventuate into the Grantville bushfire, bringing down a huge tree 10 metres from where she sat in the car on her way home from work.
“It was a timely reminder to always respect Mother Nature.”
On the other hand, there are also the moments of sheer beauty.
“The Mother’s Day Aurora 2024 was one of those unforgettable experiences that you just pinch yourself and ask, “Did that actually happen?”
“There had been a number of Coronal Mass Ejections launched from the sun in the direction of Earth. In the early hours of May 11th, we had our first CME impact here on Earth.
“I was up around 6am, as my daughter had to play netball, but we were covered in pretty thick cloud. I spent a good part of the day at the local netball and football, and my phone was non-stop pinging with notifications and alerts. I remember checking the space weather live charts at one point – I had never seen the numbers look anything like it, so I knew something special was happening.
“I arrived home around 5.30pm and had an hour to get myself fed and out the door ready for darkness. My two girls, who after nine years are no stranger to me running out into the dark, asked if they could come – curious about the auroras. My partner agreed to bring them out once I could confirm the conditions.
“I headed to the Mouth of the Powlett. Even during the twilight, the Aurora was clearly visible, and the cloud situation was clearing. I sent my partner a back-of-camera shot with the message “It’s on” to which I got a response “We aren’t going anywhere until they’ve brushed their teeth!”
“My partner and two girls came out to meet me. Being able to share this moment with my family and hear the absolute awe and amazement in my girls’ voices is what made this night even more special.
“They then went home to bed, and I continued on my merry way through the night.
“I headed out to Eagles Nest, back home in San Remo to pop a battery on charge, over to Pyramid Rock, back to San Remo beach stopping briefly at Cape Woolamai on my way. I didn’t get home until 4am.
“One thing I have learnt is that events like this are very rare and when presented with the opportunity you have to make the most of it, and pulling an all-nighter with no sleep was a small price to pay.
“Some of the naked eye Aurora that night was just jaw-dropping, and not something I’m likely to forget in a hurry.”
And whilst life has kept Anna busy and unable to produce her annual calendar for the last two years (here’s hoping it makes a comeback for 2026!), fans can grab a copy of the BOM 2025 calendar by visiting shop.bom.gov.au/calendars.
For those looking to purchase specific works reach out to Anna on her Seabrae Photos social sites: facebook.com/seabrae or instagram.com/seabraephotos.
