Shining a light on the majesty of the Milky Way
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| Nikon D850 |
Saturday evening, I was sitting in front of my computer, planning a night shoot. A window of opportunity had opened. Clear skies were forecast for Sunday night, and the following day was a bank holiday - meaning no work, and if I stayed out late into the night, there would be time for a lie-in.
Where should I go for the shoot, I mused? I could go to my usual locations - The Folly in Pontypool, or somewhere up the Blorenge Mountain. Wherever I went, it would need to be dark and have minimal light pollution.
I also wanted to visit somewhere that had an interesting feature that would make a good focal point.
The Milky Way at this time of year also rises in the night sky from a Southerly direction, where it is best viewed.
The last consideration I had to make was that it would need to be somewhere that my friend Paul Joy could walk to if needed.
After doing some thinking and research, I had two places in mind. My first choice -Dunraven Bay, Southerndown, may also get a chance at seeing some bioluminescence as a bonus. The second choice was Nash Point Lighthouse.
I contacted Paul and we discussed. He, in fact, was quick to suggest Nash Point Lighthouse, as this was on his bucket list for some night photography. After some deliberation, it was agreed - Nash Point Lighthouse was to be our destination with the stars.
At 10 pm on Sunday evening, Paul and I arrived at Nash Point. Paul was chuckling out loud at how excited I was; he could not believe how much enthusiasm I have. If I am honest, he was more excited than I was. Paul is old enough to be my father, and for a man close to being an octogenarian, he has the heart and mind of a twenty-year-old. They say men never grow up, and he is a shining example of that.
There was one issue at hand that did dampen our spirits - the cloud overhead, the dreaded bane of night photography.
Sunset had been over an hour ago, and the skies were darkening by the minute, and we wished earnestly that the skies would clear. The weather apps predicted the sky would clear by midnight.
We gathered our camera kit out of the car, and like a pair of pack mules loaded with equipment along the path to the lighthouse, our head torches lighting the way ahead.
I was surprised to see we were not alone. The car park near the cafe was full of camper trucks, trailers, tents and wigwams. People had made makeshift cosy outdoor spaces illuminated by campfires and fairy lights. Many appeared to be getting ready to settle in for the night.
The clouds were starting to dissipate, and the stars began to twinkle overhead. Paul pointed out the planets Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn to me as he marched on alongside me.
When we arrived near the lighthouse compound, the pair of us were like overexcited kids. Hastily, we set up our cameras on the tripods and then started looking in all kinds of directions without thinking of whether we were spoiling each other's shots with our headlamps on or walking into each other's view frame. On occasions like this, I think as a photographer you need to take some deep breaths and just look first with your eyes and take it all in. Slowly observe and assess things. After all, it was only just after 10 pm, and the night was young; there would be plenty of time for photos.
Paul wanted to do some time-lapse captures, so I left him to it, not to intrude on his shots, and I went off for an explore in the direction of the lighthouse.
Nash Point Lighthouse stood proudly before me. It has been guiding ships since 1832. Built after a tragic shipwreck claimed many lives on this rugged stretch of coast, the lighthouse originally had two towers – a high and a low light – to help sailors navigate safely past the treacherous Nash Sands.
Today, only the high tower remains operational, automated in 1998, flashing its beam every 10 seconds out to a range of 13 nautical miles. It’s also notable as the last lighthouse in Wales to be manned, and its striking white structure against the cliffs has made it both a lifesaver for mariners and a favourite subject for photographers and visitors alike.
The lighthouse is situated on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, and there is a coastal footpath that runs across the top of the cliffs. I walked some distance along the dark path and looked back towards the lighthouse, its light shining brightly over the dark waters of the sea far below me. The crashing of the waves and an eerie wind had whipped up, which was rich with the smell of the sea,
I decided my first pictures of the night, whilst I was waiting for the skies to improve, would be close to the lighthouse.
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| Nikon D850 |
I think the Nash Point Lighthouse is one of the most beautiful I have photographed.
After dallying for a while experimenting with different angles, lenses and cameras ( more on that later), the clock was ticking along and it was time for me to check in on my friend's progress with his timelapse.
When I returned to his side, Paul was finishing off his timelapse, so I checked out one of the other structures of the lighthouse compound - a small tower.
I focused my camera's lens on the tower, and then suddenly I noticed that the clouds were being pulled back like a slowly drawn gossamer curtain. They revealed - in the heavens above the Milky Way. My heart skipped a beat in excitement, and I called into the night to my compatriot, Paul, to join me.
As if by magic, Paul announced his presence with a blinding flash of his headlamp as he rounded the corner of the tower and joined me to look up at the sky in awe.
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| Nikon D850 |
I was really happy to have some nice photographs of the Milky Way, but I was not content with just the tower. I wanted the iconic white lighthouse in the same frame as the Milky Way. The only way I was going to get that was to walk into the field behind via a bridleway and then set up in the field behind the lighthouse.
Paul was cursing in frustration at his Canon camera, which had decided to malfunction at the wrong time. I wish he would listen to my advice and buy a proper camera like a Nikon or Olympus ( I do like to tease him, so he loves the banter and a bit of rivalry).
Leaving Paul to fight his battle with the camera gremlins, I disappeared into the night, promising as I did so to message him if the view is good.
After a short walk, I found a great spot that had a panoramic view of that white sentinel that shone brightly into the night sky. Above it flowed the Milky Way into the starry heavens above.
The view was truly astronomical, and the Milky Way glowed in all its majesty above a thin layer of cloud that glowed a murky orange from light pollution of Minehead on the opposite side of the Bristol Channel.
Everything had aligned for this moment, and I was able to get the picture I had been dreaming about.
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| Nikon D850 |
I told Paul where I was and that he needed to get to my position with due haste, and that I was not that far away from him. My sense of direction ( or lack of) is infamous, and after twenty minutes started to worry where my intrepid but venerable friend was.
Suddenly, I heard something puffing away like an angry bull. Alarmed, I turned, imagining I was going to be confronted by a raging bovine with big horns, but instead saw that my friend had found me. He cursed and derided me for telling him I was just a short distance away from him. We both laughed and enjoyed the banter.
Then, it was back to business and more photos to be taken.
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| OM-1 |
A flurry of clouds eventually moved in, and we took it as a sign to move on and try a different spot nearby, closer to the cafe building.
We were both starting to flag now, so Paul got his deck chairs out of the car. He then trundled off heading for the cliff edge, where he set up his camera kit in comfort.
I joined him and we sat in leisure staring up at the heavens above.
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| Nikon D850 |
There was a problem when we sat down together. Light pollution from the cafe was spoiling our foregrounds, so we moved further up the path out of any light sources behind us.
Paul chose to sit down on a picnic bench, and I took a picture of him in his element, loving life and making the most of things as always, with a big smile on his face.
I sat in comfort in my deckchair and stared up hypnotised at the wonderful starry sky above.
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| Nikon D850 |
I then looked at my watch, as I must admit I was starting to feel sleepy. I was quite shocked when I saw that it was 3.30 am!
Paul and I decided to pack up and leave.
I drove off from the car park and headed down a very narrow lane towards the exit, and was shocked to see that the exit was blocked by a barrier.
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| Photos of the gate courtesy of Paul Joy. |
It was now 4 am, and I went into panic mode. What were our wives going to say? Out all night playing with cameras. I was dreading reversing all the way back down the lane and was in the process of giving Paul my head torch so he could guide me back down the lane. We laughed at our predicament and even started thinking about what the sunrise would be like in the morning.
Paul got out of the car and headed for the barrier. At one point, I thought he was going to try a "World's Strongest Man" effort and lift the barrier up.
He is a clever old fox and instead went to take a look at the lock. The next thing that happened he started opening the gate wide to let me out. He had a huge big smug smile on his face. The gate was only secured by a string.
Thank the heavens above for that bit of luck. We both longed to get home and to bed!
This night will be remembered forever!
The Technical Bit.
Equipment used -
- Nikon D850 with Samyang Astro 14mm Lens
- Olympus OM-1 and Zuiko 22-40mm Lens
- Nikon Z6 and Nikkor 24-70mm Lens
- Monfrotto Travel Tripod
Post Editing
All the images I have produced using -
- Adobe Photoshop
- Luminar Neo
- Topaz Denoise
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