A night with the stars

Saturday night was a rare occurance here in the UK with clear moonless skies forecast for the first time in what seems like forever! The Northern Hemisphere is currently in Milky Way core season and I decided that it was time to venture out for the first time this year to attempt to photograph it. It was also a test session for my new lens, the Viltrox 16mm f1.8 prime lens.

Now I don’t actually own a wide angle lens, instead relying on the generosity of my good friend Dave to lend me his fantastic 14-24mm f2.8 lens. However as much as I enjoy using that lens for night photography I am always nervous borrowing a piece of equipment that is very expensive! One drop and I would have a very upset dave on my hands and a hefty replacement bill. So I decided it was time to invest in a wide angle of my own. Recently launched for the Nikon Z mount, I have watched some very good reviews on the 16mm F1.8. Sharp, fantastic low light capabilites, reasonably light weight and able to mount My Nisi filters (something the 14-24mm cant do) it was an obvious choice for me. Luckily it turned up the same day of my planned night out so I had even more of an excuse to get out under the stars!

My target for the night was Kimmeridge Bay on the Dorset coast. Closed after 8pm but the gates are never locked and I have had no issues being there in the past. I did toy with going to Durdle Dor but seeing so many images from there has put me off it a little bit……….alright, I hate the walk to get to it ok! Anyway, I had unfinished business at Kimmeridge. I have often visited this place but never come away with an image I have been happy with. Would this change tonight? Lets see.

Nikon ZF with the Viltrox 16mm f1.8

So the trip down was uneventful apart from when leaving the house I had a brainfart moment with my wallet. It is fitted with an airtag and I couldnt find it so used my phone to locate it and play a sound. I wandered around my living room getting more and more frustrated with the sound as it always seemed like it was coming from the phone and not the tag….until I realised that it was in my jeans pocket the whole time….I swear I’m losing the plot sometimes!

Anyways, wallet located and bag loaded for bear I drove the 90 minutes to Kimmeridge, arriving just after 12.30am. I love driving at night as there ar fewer idiots, I mean other road users about at that time and its just the wildlife you have to watch out for. Its just a brief walk down to the rocky beach from the car park and the added bonus tonight was the tide was right out, exposing a shelf of rock that juts out into the bay and makes for an interesting foreground.

This shelf or rock makes excellent foreground interest for this composition

I spent around two hours grabbing various images and also a timelapse which should have been about ten seconds long but for some reason was only three? I had no one else on the beach with me apart from a Tawny Owl who was patrolling up and down the beach and scaring me silly when it hooted right above my head! It was a beautifully clear night but even here in a dark sky hotspot its hard not to have to deal with some form of light pollution. I would love to go somewhere where there is zero light pollution just to witness the true carpet of stars above our heads. In a couple of years maybe. Even s, while the timelapse was running I took some time to lay on my back just staring up at the glorious night sky and pondering such things as are we alone?, how many stars are actually up there and why the F$%K I didnt check my jeans pocket for my wallet earlier. Lifes mysteries!

My favourite of the night, this is a blend of two images, one for foregraound and one for the sky.

I left just before 3am and already the sky was beginning to lighten as the new day began. In fact it was light by the time I arrived back home, having seen more deers on the road than cars. I collapsed into bed just before five and managed around 5 hours before I was up again. One thing is for sure, I cant party like its 1999 anymore!

I was impressed with the Viltrox lens. It performed beautifully and wasquite easy to use at night especially with the little screen mounted on the tiop of the lens making it quite simple to get focus. At 1/5th the price of the Nikon 14-24 its also an absolute bargain too.

A photogenic rockpool made for another bit of foreground interest.

Thanks for reading as always folks, its very much appreciated. Why not leave me a comment even if its just to say hi? Until next time reader!