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Abby Keith Images, Christchurch (2026)

29/10/2025

BROKEN HEARTED

The hardest post I’ve ever had to write since I started this journey. I finished this image yonks ago, but when I took it, that night I told myself I would dedicate it to something special. So here I am, already watery-eyed trying to talk about it, because it deserves to be talked about, in my opinion.

If you know me, you know there will always be an animal around. That’s my life, I’ve always had animals. One of the constants in my life has been my cats. Anything can happen over time, but I always knew that when I returned home, they would be there. That never changed; it was always the same.

I lost one of my constants this year. His name was Kito. I knew it was going to be rough when it happened, but nothing really prepares you for losing one of your closest companions, one you’ve had for 18 years. Funny thing was, I thought he was 15, but a good friend did the math, and it turns out he was 18! He lived a good life, well, he lived a great life, full of food and sleeping. Now I’m laughing, because if you know, you know!

So yup, this image is for my cat. Taken on the beautiful West Coast of New Zealand at Motukiekie Beach. This image isn’t easy to get; everything needs to align. I was standing on a starfish reef with the tide slowly coming in on me, you get a couple of hours if you’re lucky to stand here and capture this shot.

So yeah, sorry to get all personal on it. But my heart broke for the first time in a long time this year.

What makes it even better is that, as I was listening to a mix, I heard this tune play. As usual, I thought, “Yup, this is the tune for the image.” I had no idea what it was called at the time. When I saw the title, I told myself, “I can’t call my image that, LOL.” But here we are - Broken Hearted by Tatora & Perspective Shift. An absolutely beautiful tune, the perfect mix of happy and sad, crafted into one of the most moving pieces I’ve ever heard (for me! Haha).

Swipe to see the p***y! And big thanks to , Cindy for doing the math. It’s good to have a friend that remembers some of your life better than you do!

EXIF
Canon R6 mod, Canon R6II
Sigma 24mm, Tamrom 35mm
SkyWatcher Adventurer Pro 2i

FG: 16 images @ 60s f/2.2, ISO6400
SKY: 18 images @ 60s, f/2.2, ISO800

29/10/2025

Epson International Pano Awards

Stoked! My images received two silvers and a bronze. All were shot on the beautiful West Coast of New Zealand — where I’ve spent most of the year, and you can see why!

It’s awesome to see friends doing so well too — and , congrats!

The top two were in the top 100 out of 1.6k entries in the amateur categories!

Images taken at - Ridges, Motukiekie and Lake Matheson

14/10/2025

CURE DEM’

This image makes me happy. I planned this shot at the start of the year and finally pulled it off last month. The tide has to be super low, and the swell calm, you don’t get many chances to stand here with everything lining up just right.

I had six epic nights in a row during the last new moon. That’s rare in itself, six clear nights on the coast is almost unheard of. I gave myself nearly two weeks to get through all the shots I’d planned, but the skies just kept staying clear. So I made the most of it, going hard every night until the clouds finally rolled in on the seventh.

This photo represents everything I’ve worked toward this year. Shooting here isn’t always easy. More often than not, I’ve been caught out by random bad weather that wasn’t forecasted, or swells too high to let me into certain spots.

And to top it off, that night I finally saw the little blue penguins, lots of them. At one point I even had to shoo one off the road because I nearly ran it over. They’re ridiculously cute.

“Cure Dem” is one of my all-time favourite tunes, and it was the first track I played as I pulled up to this beach, a little celebration. It’s a J:Kenzo remix of Saule’s ( )original. These days, I don’t really choose my image titles; the music does that for me, even if they end up a bit random. It’s my way of blending my love for music with my new passion for astrophotography.

EXIF:
Gear - Canon R6 mod, Canon R6 II, Tamron SP 35mm, Sigma 24mm
Star Adventurer Pro 2i
Foreground - 14 images @ 70sec, f/2, ISO6400
Sky - 46 images @ 60sec, f/2, ISO800

17/09/2025

MINDSET

The beautiful Hokitika Gorge at night. Rach mentioned this shot nearly two years ago, and we’ve been talking about it ever since. Finally getting the chance to shoot here earlier this year was epic.

The night was full of laughs and plenty of obstacles. The first was making it past some fierce possums without Rach having a heart attack (haha). Then, to reach our spot, we had to take the long way around due to the bridge closure, which wasn’t a big deal. But along the track, we kept coming across fallen trees brought down by a recent storm, so getting in and out turned into a bit of a mission. Funnily enough, the track was closed the very next day.

As always, the image title comes from a tune that resonates with me either at the time of shooting or during post-processing. While putting the final touches on this image, I found out some very exciting news. I’ve been saying for years that a certain artist needs to come to NZ, and it’s finally happening (I think!). That’s why this image is named “Mindset” by Operate & Rizzle, featuring Rider Shafique.

My year is made!

Canon ANZ Canon

31/07/2025

Fireworks 💥

The beach with endless compositions. Minimal wind. Always warm, even in winter. This is Ridges. It’s not an official name, but many now know this beach as Ridges. Rachel Roberts named it, she’s shot here more than you’ve visited. This is her home, and now it’s my home too.

We respect our home. We don’t turn up in the dark hoping for the best. We watch the tides, the swell, the wind. We visit during the day to get a sense of what the night might bring. We prepare ourselves for the best shooting conditions possible. Then we execute, taking our time, getting it perfect.

Apparently, there are little blue penguins here! I only found out because one scared the hell out of Rach that night. There are signs at the entrance, I missed those (classic me, aye? I’m bad at seeing the signs, lol). She messaged me after the scare, and I almost ran over to add to the chaos. Would’ve been perfect timing. But I held off… for now. Still haven’t seen one myself, even after a few returns. I’m missing out!

So yeah, just a ramble from a random night out. More to come. And yup, still naming my images after tracks that hit during the shoot or edit. This one’s Fireworks by Kercha, one of my favourite producers. Give him a listen!

EXIF:
Gear - Canon R6 mod, Tamron SP 35mm, Star Adventurer Pro 2i
Foreground - 27 images @ 120sec, f/2, ISO3200
Sky - 42 images @ 90sec, f/2, ISO800

29/07/2025

Happy to announce my image “All on Top” made the Top 25 in the NZIPP - the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography Amateur Photography Competition.

Got the email last week but have been a bit busy. It was a very last minute entry, and my first competition I’ve entered this year. So I’m pretty stoked!

10/07/2025

‘’All on Top” - Lake Matheson

Oh, Lake Matheson... you were a challenge! This spot was high on my bucket list for the year. I got Nugget Point on the first try, but clearly my second choice wanted to make things harder. Worth it in the end, right?

This shot was from my first attempt. I arrived before sunset thinking, “If it’s cloudy, I’ll still get something.” But sunset was perfectly clear, giving me high hopes for the night ahead. I waited until dark, took a few random shots while waiting for the Milky Way to rise.

I had the place to myself all night, so naturally I had my music going (you all know how much I love that), swaying in the dark. Once the Milky Way was in position, I took the main foreground shot. Yes, the reflection is real, I just used shorter exposures and blended them in post. Then I tracked the sky.

Perfect. I packed up and hiked to the next spot—two cameras, two tripods, all my lenses, and a tracker, at 4 a.m. It was a slog. I was tired, and it wasn’t exactly fun. I got there, set up, started shooting… and within five minutes, clouds covered the whole sky.

That’s the West Coast of NZ for you, totally unpredictable. So yeah, every image coming out soon, I’ve really had to work for.

To be continued…

West Coast, New Zealand Canon ANZ TAMRON New Zealand Sky-Watcher Australia

04/06/2025

COSMIC SANDS

I don’t usually edit my images straight away. I prefer to let them sit for a while and return to them when the moment feels right. That said, shiny sand and ripples have been on my shot list for a long time, so when I noticed the sand starting to ripple as the tide slowly receded, I knew I was in for something special.

On Friday afternoon, I rounded up the lads for a Milky Way mission at one of my favourite bays. I picked up Jared () on the way, and we met W***y ()there - still laughing about your epic detour, mate! I’ve chatted with W***y for nearly two years now, and we finally got the chance to meet in person.

We had the entire bay to ourselves. While the lads set up on the left side, I planted myself in the centre, drawn in by the beautiful ripples across the sand. I set my tracker up on a sand dune, ready for the Milky Way when it aligned. It was the first night I truly felt the cold this season, a light breeze made it bitter. I spent hours walking in circles just to keep warm!

You never really know how a pano will turn out until you stitch it together. The next day, I gave it a go and was stoked with the result, so much so that I dove straight into editing.

On a side note. Sorry, , I may have borrowed your colour palette, girlfriend! Final touches were thanks to , appreciate you! Paul and Rach both take workshops here in NZ, look them up!

16/04/2025

NUGGET POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Goals are being achieved!

This year, photographing the rising Milky Way at Nugget Point Lighthouse was right at the top of my list. Sure, it’s been shot countless times—but this is my Nuggy, and I’m absolutely stoked to have finally made it happen.

Nugget Point sits on the eastern edge of New Zealand’s lower South Island. It’s a wildly exposed spot, and getting good conditions there can be a real challenge. I set out one night in the pouring rain, trusting the forecast that it would clear. Halfway through the six-hour drive, I found myself questioning what I was doing but that passed quickly. I arrived around 2 a.m. and managed to find somewhere to crash for a few hours.

By morning, the skies had cleared. I got lucky—really lucky. I ended up spending two nights there with the best weather I could’ve asked for. Just a gentle breeze, nothing more. So I shot my heart out for both nights, and then headed off on my merry way.

This year has been hectic, but I finally found some time to sit down and start putting a few images together. I’ve been out shooting every chance I get. Things are tracking along nicely, and I can’t wait to share what’s coming up soon. There’s a really cool opportunity on the horizon, and I’m so stoked to be a part of it.

19/02/2025

~ Valley of the Trolls ~

This image has been sitting around for a while. It was taken looking down at the Valley of the Trolls, from Lake Wilson. Behind me is an incredible alpine lake. The climb to get there wasn’t easy, especially with all the ice, but I made it and to top it off, the aurora kicked off.

As some distant memories begin to fade, I’ve been focusing more on planning for the future—specifically mapping out shots for the year ahead. In that spirit, I’ve even bought a new car (yay!) to help me get around safely, sleep in, and, most importantly, handle the rugged terrain with its 4WD capability so I don’t get stuck!

It’s been exciting to plan for the Milky Way season, but of course, there’s only so much you can do. Weather is unpredictable, so we’ll just have to see how it all plays out!

Abby Keith Images

29/10/2025

29/10/2025

14/10/2025

17/09/2025

31/07/2025

29/07/2025

10/07/2025

04/06/2025

16/04/2025

19/02/2025

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