Under the Southern Stars – Milky Way Over the Church of the Good Shepherd
Lake Tekapo in New Zealand’s South Island is known as one of the most remarkable places in the world for astrophotography. Located within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the skies here are incredibly clear and free from light pollution, allowing the stars to shine with incredible clarity. On this particular evening in mid-April, the Milky Way had begun its seasonal return to the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere. Standing beside the historic Church of the Good Shepherd, the scene unfolded as a breathtaking combination of history, landscape, and the immense scale of the cosmos above.
Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand
The Milky Way rises above the historic Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo in New Zealand’s South Island, captured beneath the pristine skies of the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve.
As darkness settled across Lake Tekapo, the familiar silhouette of the small stone church sat quietly at the edge of the lake while the sky above slowly filled with stars. Rising from the horizon, the Milky Way core emerged in brilliant detail, stretching upward through the frame with countless stars scattered across the night sky. The church, gently illuminated in the darkness, provided a striking foreground element beneath the sheer grandeur of the galaxy above. Despite the late hour, there were still many photographers and visitors gathered nearby, each hoping to capture their own moment beneath one of the most spectacular night skies on Earth.
Astrophotography requires careful balance between light, time, and movement. To capture the stars as sharp points rather than streaks, exposures must remain relatively short before the Earth's rotation begins to turn stars into trails. In this image, the exposure was limited to around fifteen seconds, allowing the stars to appear as tiny pinpoints scattered across the sky. Shooting with a wide aperture allowed enough light to reach the camera sensor while keeping the ISO at a manageable level. Later in post‑processing, subtle adjustments to colour and saturation helped reveal the beautiful tones hidden within the Milky Way, ranging from soft blues to deep purples that define the structure of our galaxy.
Technical Details
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Lens: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Prime Lens
Exposure: 15 seconds
Aperture: f/2.0
ISO: 2500
Focal Length: 24mm
Tripod: Used
Location: Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand
Time of Year: Mid-April (Milky Way core visible in Southern Hemisphere)
Astrophotography Notes
Capturing the Milky Way requires shooting with a wide aperture to allow as much light as possible onto the camera sensor while keeping the ISO reasonably controlled. For this image, the aperture was opened to f/2.0 to maximise light gathering.
Exposure time is also critical. Because the Earth rotates, stars will begin to appear as trails if exposures extend too long. With a 24mm lens on a full‑frame camera, exposures are typically limited to around fifteen seconds before noticeable star movement occurs. This exposure time allowed the stars to appear sharp and pinpoint across the sky.
During post‑processing, subtle adjustments were made to enhance colour and contrast within the Milky Way. Night sky images often appear slightly desaturated straight from the camera, so gentle increases in saturation and colour balance helped reveal the natural tones within the galaxy, ranging from soft blues to deep purples.
