My passion lies in long-exposure landscape astrophotography—a process that requires meticulous planning and patience. Each image captures the beauty of the night sky in harmony with the earth below, grounding me even as I gaze into infinity. Photographing the stars and landscapes requires a clear understanding of the night sky on any given night, and in the UK, patience with the ever-unpredictable weather is essential.
Setting up in a dark location, I compose each image on my camera, carefully adjusting settings like aperture, ISO, and shutter speed to capture as much light as possible over several seconds or even minutes. I often use a star tracker—a motor that rotates the camera in sync with the Earth's rotation—to freeze the stars' movement. This setup allows me to capture sharp images of the night sky with minimal distortion. By aligning the star tracker with the celestial pole (Polaris in the Northern Hemisphere), I can gather a series of exposures that I later stack in software, helping to reveal the intricate details and enhance colors while staying true to the scene. I work to keep my images natural, captured in one session from a single vantage point, allowing the viewer to experience the night as I did.
The entire process, from planning to shooting then processing, is an escape from the demands of daily life. Standing on solid ground under an endless sky brings a sense of balance and keeps things in perspective, reminding me of my place in the universe. The sound of the wind, the rhythm of the waves, and even the chill of the night are deeply restorative, especially in times of stress.
Star Tracker mounted on a tripod