NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
When a Million Stars Get Multiplied Upon Reflecting in the Sea
And palm trees are lining the beach
The stars. So bright, one would think it’s wallpaper. But it’s nature’s work. A million stars are shining in the sky making you look so small and unobtrusive. The world is much, much bigger than we can grasp.
And still, I continue standing here, staring into the night sky. I stopped counting shooting stars as there were too many. The milky way is normal. To see the bright road in the sky is just part of the African night.
But not every night reveals the beauty of a clear sky. Especially during the rainy season many times a thick layer of clouds is hiding the shining stars. Thunderstorms and rain showers take the show of the night.
But then again, it makes these clear nights even more special.
I haven’t photographed the night sky a lot on the beach and certainly not on such a tropical one as in Mozambique. Palm trees were long my favorite kind of tree as they represented holidays to me. That was before I got back into hiking and while all I enjoyed during vacations was tanning on the beach.
Now, I never place my towel on the beach to lie in the sun. Especially not on this continent. The African sun is just brutal. Unforgiving. My skin doesn’t appreciate middays spent getting burnt.
But the evenings and nights are wonderful in such a location.
And while I’m struggling to eliminate the resort’s light pollution, I have learned to not get annoyed by things I can’t change and rather accept them.
So here we go. There’s a starry sky and clouds are moving in during the night. Below, palm trees line the tropical beach, and a few lights are shining for us, the only campers on site.
If I turn around, I can see the stars reflecting in the sea. Just before a layer of clouds is covering the sky hiding the shining world above.
The following evening looks more promising. A clear sunset with only a few clouds hanging above the horizon. Far in the distance.
As soon as the last sunlight disappeared from the sky, I look up.
I’m speechless. The milky way is shining bright in between all the palm trees at camp. What a view.
I walk down a few meters to check the beach. Few clouds have come closer but they aren’t able to hide the milky way and two shooting stars frozen in the moment.
The tide is far out at sea and a wet glance is hovering above the beach. A million stars are reflecting in the sand. Too beautiful to describe and too special to reflect on my pictures.
The African night.
Very different from any other night on Earth.
All pictures were taken during my roadtrip through Mozambique in February 2023, just before cyclone Freddy washed away parts of the country.
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