Elan Galaxy

The Elan Valley in Mid Wales has fast become one of my favourite places to stargaze. Free of any large towns or cities it offers 360 degrees of dark skies from a staggeringly beautiful and seemingly remote location. Valleys gorge their way through mountainous terrain and impressive Victorian dams just add to the captivating nature of this stunning pocket of Wales.

'Overflow'

There's something quite exciting about the sight of the overflowing dam walls, the continuous rushing and crashing of the water and the lashing of spray you get when standing in front. It's something I long wanted to photograph with the Milky Way and the only opportunity I found for this was during autumn, when the Milky Way was in a favourable position and there was enough rain to burst the banks.

In 2017 I headed there for the Perseids meteor shower. Despite letting a timelapse of over 400 photos run I only managed to capture one decent meteor before the moon and mist ended the show prematurely...

'Strike'

'Lost'

 

The following two images both utilised a Star Adventurer Mini star-tracking mount, allowing me to take 4-5 minute exposures of the sky without the stars trailing. In the first image it allowed me to bring out stunning detail in the Cygnus region of the Milky Way and in the second it allowed me to capture the trail of the International Space Station passing over...

'Breathing Space'

'Aspire'

 

Below are some more Milky Way favourites taken on a night where Sigma asked me to test out their new 14mm f/1.8 Art lens. I also made a vlog about it which I'll add below... 

'Rush'

'Spillthrough'

'Sigma'

'Overwatch'

In AstroVlog005 I take the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art lens to the dark skies of the Elan Valley Dark Sky Park in Wales to see how it performs when photographing Milky Way.

 

I'll never forget my first night under the stars here. Gazing down from the steep valley walls upon the reflection of the Milky Way took my breath away instantly...

'Mirrored Galaxy'

And I don't think seeing the stars reflecting in the still water will ever lose its novelty...

'Peace at Night'

I cannot wait to spend some more time here under clear skies. There's still plenty of images I have planned in my head that I have yet to turn into a reality and I can't see my lust for this place dying anytime soon. 

For any prints or canvasses please don't hesitate to get in touch.