The months of February and March were bleak for my astrophotography. They were opportunities, but commitments prevented me from making the most of them!
However, April provided fresh motivation, starting with an Exeter Quay trip. Now when I say a trip, I am talking about a 3-minute walk from where I live in Exeter to this riverside location. I knew being in the city, light pollution would be a challenge, but with a big moon splashing plenty of lovely light over the scene, I saw an opportunity for an interesting star trail image.
Star trails over boats at Exeter Quay.
A few days later, my second shot of April saw me travel to Dartmoor to photograph around Cox Tor and embrace the full moon. My first idea was to shoot the full moon rising over Great Staple Tor. I used my 100-400mm lens to squeeze the perspective with support from the PhotoPills app to position myself in the correct alignment.
While awaiting the moon to rise, a stubborn bank of cloud lingered overhead, threatening to obscure the horizon and moonrise. Thankfully it didn't and instead provided some atmospheric conditions to the scene.
Moonrise over Great Staple Tor.
With astro shoots being more sparse this year, I wanted to make the most of the clear conditions despite full moon star photography not being my favorite type. So I walked to Great Staple Tor to see what images I could make. Interestingly Orion, Mars, and the constellation of Taurus all aligned nicely with this part of the tor, making my final image of this night.
Great Staple Tor in Moonlight.