August Writing Prompt: Looking Up

Summary

The author is planning a birthday trip to Bardsey Island in North Wales, an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, to pursue astrophotography during the new moon, despite previous challenges with equipment.

Abstract

For the author's upcoming birthday, her husband Dave has booked time off to spend together, allowing her to choose their destination this year. She has selected Bardsey Island in North Wales, known for its designation as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, to engage in astrophotography. The author reflects on a previous trip to Loch Ness, which was marred by the long driving duration she had to endure due to her husband not driving. This year, with the opportunity to photograph the Milky Way under ideal conditions during a new moon, the author is preparing by acquiring older Olympus camera bodies and searching for a suitable wide-angle lens to overcome the limitations of her current micro-four-thirds system.

Opinions

The author expresses dissatisfaction with the long driving journey to Loch Ness, which she had to undertake alone due to her husband's inability to drive.
She is excited about the prospect of astrophotography in Bardsey Island, indicating a keen interest in night sky photography.
The author acknowledges the inadequacy of her current lens for capturing the Milky Way and is seeking a more suitable lens for her upcoming trip.
There is a sense of practicality in her approach to photography equipment, as she is considering older camera bodies and is reluctant to invest in an ultra-wide lens that she would not use frequently.
The author seems to value the opportunity to choose their travel destination and is looking forward to the upcoming trip, suggesting a positive outlook for the experience.

August Writing Prompt: Looking Up

Astrophotography is looking up in Wales, UK.

Next week it’s my birthday and, as usual, Dave (my husband) has booked the week off so we can spend it together and take a few days away.

Last year we went to Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. It’s a lovely destination, and if we could have travelled there any other way than driving, it would have been fabulous.

You see, Dave doesn’t drive. That meant I had to do all the driving. A journey that would take 11 hours with two 45-minute breaks. Three days later, we would have to do the reverse trip. We would only be there for two full days in between.

I couldn’t believe what he’d done.

He couldn’t believe I wasn’t thrilled.

This year he asked me where I would like to go. Things are looking up — I got to choose!

I knew immediately where I wanted to go — the very tip of the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales. In fact, an island right off the tip, Bardsey.

A few months ago, I found out that Bardsey Island had been declared an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, the first of its kind in Europe. Things are looking up in Wales for night sky photography.

For astrophotography, it’s the place to be. While I haven’t done much in the way of this genre, I’ve been trying to do more. There is a new moon while we are away, so we plan to do some shots of the Milky Way.

Failing to get a decent shot of the Milky Way — I didn’t have a wide enough angle lens. Photo by Janice Gill

This is the best of a bad bunch of shots I took of the Milky Way a few years ago. With my micro-four-thirds system, my widest lens is 14mm or a 28mm equivalent. It’s just not wide enough to do the scene justice, and I can’t justify the expense for an ultra-wide lens that I would rarely use.

For our trip away, I’m going old school. I have a couple of Olympus bodies, OM1 and OM10, I think. I’m on the lookout for a wide-angle lens for them. Wish me luck!