My astrophotography got off to an incredible start for spring, with a flurry of three astro shoots in three days.
The first trip was to Meldon Reservoir on Dartmoor, revisiting some compositions with the winter sky. There were some real moments of magic, with a Dartmoor pony wandering into one of my compositions, while the winter sky provided some incredible conditions.
It’s always interesting revisiting a familiar location at a different time of year. The changing position of the constellations and the different seasonal sky can completely alter the feel and possibilities of a composition.
The following day, with a high forecast chance of strong Aurora activity, I ventured to the Burrator Reservoir area of Dartmoor to find some north-facing compositions, particularly around Down Tor Stone Row.
Unfortunately, I had overlooked the radio mast and light pollution from Princetown in the northerly direction. After capturing a few compositions of Orion and an image of the stone row, I hiked off the moors and made a complete change of plan, which involved driving to Mother Ivey’s Bay on the north coast of Cornwall.
This beach has a lot of sentimental value to me, as I spent many days here in my teens. It was therefore a real dream to have the opportunity to photograph the Northern Lights from here. Thankfully, the stars aligned, and shortly after arriving I was able to capture some images of the beach at low tide, with a structured Aurora forming in the background.
A night of long searching that ultimately ended with a very rewarding result!
For the next recent new-moon phase I took the opportunity, while visiting family, to travel to Portwrinkle Harbour on the southeast Cornwall coast. Portwrinkle is a quaint little village on the Rame Peninsula that houses a small harbour and two lovely sandy bays nestled beneath green cliffs. I always enjoy photographing these enclosed locations, where you can craft compositions within a compact area without having to rush across long distances.
My final shoot of spring involved meeting up with my friend and fellow astrophotographer Jen Rogers. We decided to venture to Soarmill cove on the south Devon coast and spent the night making plenty of interesting composition featuring the Milky Way core. We arrived early and enjoyed some daytime seascape photography and generally scouting the area before nightfall finally fell. A wonderful and productive night under the stars!
