Capturing the Milky Way

admin
, 18 September 2024
Capturing the Milky Way
The Milky Way and the Red-roofed Hut © Derek Griffin

By Derek Griffin

Local photographer 

The Red Roofed Hut, a symbol of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve recognised world-wide, has been photographed thousands (perhaps millions!) of times. But I couldn’t find many of it at night, particularly under the Milky Way.

I love photography, more so since I retired last year and I now spend ages planning my photographs. The stars aligned (pun intended) a few weeks ago when we had a perfect cloudless night. I use a couple of programs and websites on my computer for planning, mainly 'The Photographers Ephemeris' which tells me where the Milky Way will be and whether the core will be above the horizon. There is a “Milky Way Season” when the core is visible which runs from February to early October each year, but from mid-May to late July, it’s not possible to capture it because the skies don’t get dark enough. Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is great as it’s one of the few light-pollution free sites in the south-east, as well as being a great place to photograph the wildlife.

Sunset at Birling Gap
Sunset at Birling Gap looking towards Cuckmere Haven © Derek Griffin

I use a Canon 5D IV with Canon 16-35mm lens. The camera is mounted on a tripod as the exposure is going to be quite long (13 seconds). When I get to my location, I use an app called 'Photo Pills' on my iPhone. This calculates the best exposure time for my camera/lens combination and also has a facility that shows exactly where the Milky Way is, as it’s impossible to see with the naked eye. I usually “light paint” my foreground subject first before taking 10 to 15 shots of the sky. When I get home I start work with Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop to blend all the shots together.

Can you capture the Milky Way with an iPhone? Amazingly, yes! As you do for everything, just Google it and you will find some useful advice. Good luck!

Sunset at Bough Beech reservoir
Sunset at Bough Beech reservoir © Derek Griffin

Thank you to Derek for sharing his incredible photo with us. If you would like to see more of Derek's work, you can find it here.

Leave a comment

Comments

  • Paul Clancy:

    Does the Ephemeris available on the app do as much as the desktop version you mentioned

    21 Sep 2024 13:41:00

  • jill halpin:

    brilliant thank you!

    23 Sep 2024 11:02:00

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