Milky Way Magic
A landscape photography blog by Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire based landscape photographer Rob Thorley Photography.
Not for the first time I found myself marooned on the tidal island of Ynys Llanddwyn on Ynys Mon. The reasoning behind such madness . . . my first attempt at Astrophotography. It's fair to say that I had high hopes, and low expectations. To ensure I was on the island before high tide meant that I'd also get to shoot sunset, which was an added bonus.
Sunset was nice, if not epic, and I managed to grab a nice shot at blue hour, which I was chuffed with. It was a great start with some good company, as my brother-in-law and a few lads from one of the Facebook groups that I'm a member of, had also made the trip.
Whilst Ynys Llanddwyn isn't a true "dark skies site", it's the darkest place I've been too for many a while. It was amazing to see the amount of stars that are in the night sky, and awesome to see the Milky Way with the naked eye.
As darkness came I started to shoot the Milky Way. I can’t deny there was instant disappointment. Fortunately one of the lads had been at this location the week before, and after passing on a few tips on the setting front I started to get some images of the Milky Way. Once I was dialled in I then proceeded to run around for the next five, or six hours like a kid in a sweet shop, snapping away, composition, after composition, and having a great time.
Some nights are just epic, and this was one of those nights. Were my photographs any good? No, not really, but for a first attempt I was more than happy. I learnt loads, and had an incredible time. I saw, and photographed the Milky Way, and even had the added bonus of seeing the Northern Lights.
Next time I plan to slow right down, pick a composition (already in my mind), stick with it, and look to do a twilight blend with the shots of the Milky Way, and then merge them when I get to post processing.
If you’ve not done it before, do it. You’ll have a blast.
You can view more images from Ynys Llanddwyn, and my gallery of other Ynys Mon locations.
