Through December, I embarked on three astro shoots. The first was a visit to south Dartmoor, the second a trip to the South Devon coast, with the final venture to Exmoor National part. Sitting here typing this blog post, there is a feeling of frustration for Decembers photography, as many clear nights where missed due to work commitments but each of my December shoots where unique, dramatic and without a doubt, worth while ventures!
So the first shoot in early December, involved my friend Lee and I travelling to Leather Tor for a night of shooting the winter sky over Sharpitor and Leather Tor. The conditions were clear as nightfall fell, but the wind was howling and clouds where occasionally rolling over. The elements were certainly testing our resilience. I had scouted a few possible locations around Sharpitor a few days previously, so had a good idea of a few compositions from the top of Sharpitor looking down towards Leather Tor. For this photo, I remember huddling against a rock sheltering from the cold howling northerlies. It was bitterly cold but I think the trip was worth it as I was really happy with this composition!
Sharpitor - Dartmoor
The following night, myself and my girlfriend Cait travelled down to Ladram Bay to enjoy a few hours of moonless clear skies. The conditions where perfect and after a few hundred meters of walking we arrived at our shooting location at the beach. The bay is well know for it’s dramatic rocky stacks and steep peddled beach. The coastal features here looked fantastic against the winter skies. I took a few different compositions featuring the stacks and delighted with how they came out. The photos where a bonus as it was one of those magical nights where time seemed to stand still and it you wouldn’t have noticed the whole night drifting by while enjoying the stars!
Ladram Bay - Devon
Ladram Bay - Devon
My final shoot of 2020 was on Christmas Eve. Keeping with tradition, I was eager to venture somewhere and with an opportunity of clear skies I took a journey to the Valley of the Rocks on Exmoor. This is a stunning stretch of rugged coast with tall cliffs and rocky hills tops. When I arrived the moon was setting, so I opted to make that the feature of my first picture and with some high level cloud, moonset was very dramatic visually.
Once the moon had set, I took another picture with myself in the frame with a flash. Shortly after this, cloud rolled over and the stars disappeared. I spent the next hour exploring the cliffs and found a few more awesome locations I can’t wait to shoot again next time. A great way to sign of a fantastic year of astrophotography! Thank you all for the support this year!
Valley of the Rocks - Exmoor National Park
Valley of the Rocks - Exmoor National Park