The month of February saw me embark on four stella astro shoots. The first was a local shoot at Long Stone Beach. A remote beach shadowed by a steep woodland covered cliff, found on the east end of Downderry, twenty minutes from where I live. To the east end of this beach is a dramatic rock stack called Shag Rock, which made for the focal point of my shoot here.
The shoot felt rushed with the relentless incoming tide, and precarious as the layout of boulders meant that to achieve a clean composition, I had to balance on a four foot high and meter wide boulder. I remember the sky being brilliantly clear with the polar white and birthstone-blue stars gleaming and glittering spectacularly through the cold winter air. It was a spectacle of nature I'll never tire of experiencing.
Shag Rock - Tracked sky exposure, ISO 800, f2.8, with a 240-second exposure. The foreground exposure was ISO 1600, f2.8, with an exposure of 320 seconds.
My second shoot came on the back of an epic day hike and climbing around the Lizard peninsular with my Canadian friend and fellow astrophotographer, Esme. Through the day hike, we scouted a couple of striking compositions, some of which after camping out in the car, we re-visited once darkness fell upon us.
The dark skies and winter constellations looked incredible. Definately some of the darkest winter skies I have seen, and it was great to get some pictures from our excursion to West Cornwall.
Lizard Point - ISO 800, F2.8, 240 seconds for the sky. ISO 1600, F2.8, 320 second exposure.
My third shoot took place at Dartmoor's Foggingtor Quarry and again, I teamed up Esme. The shoot was a one composition trip where I wanted to capture this exciting place under a winter sky.
The sky this night looked magnificent, peaceful, and dreamy. Orion was shinning dramatic to the southwest, and the views over the quarry were vast and spectacular. The same couldn't be said with the relentless wind battering our position. We were able to huddle under this piddling rock feature, which provided some comfort from the elements while our cameras did their work.
Foggingtor Quarry - ISO 800, F2.8, 240 seconds for the sky. ISO 1600, F2.8, 320 second exposure.
My last astro adventure from February involved journeying the hundred odd miles to the Dorset coast to meet up with Dorset photographers Phill & Tim, for a night astro at Kimmeridge Bay. Kimmeridge was a location I haven't been to before, so it was fantastic to shoot somewhere new with the guidance of local photographer Phill. An excellent way to end a good month of astrophotography!
The much photographed ledge at Kimmeridge Bay- ISO 800, F2.8, 240 seconds for the sky. ISO 1600, F2.8, 320 second exposure.
Kimmeridge Bay - ISO 800, F2.8, 240 seconds for the sky. ISO 1600, F2.8, 320 second exposure.
Kimmeridge Bay - ISO 800, F2.8, 240 seconds for the sky. ISO 1600, F2.8, 320 second exposure.
Kimmeridge Bay - ISO 800, F2.8, 240 seconds for the sky. ISO 1600, F2.8, 320 second exposure.