BLACKGANG CHINE ADVENTURE PARK (13th September, 2020)
Welcome to the second installment of my recent astro adventures on the Isle of Wight. It was another clear night sky on the island, so it normal service resumed as I headed out once again with the camera. Tonight was a revisit to Blackgang Chine Adventure Park, following last years visit with my son Chris, to shoot more of the milky way. As mentioned in my last blog post, this was the location that I saw and photographed my very first milky way, back in 2015, so it was quite nostalgic to find myself here once again, for more of the same. It was a 20 minute drive from our base in Newbridge, along the military road at west wight. Once again, it was an eerie kind of experience, as this place is usually crawling with people during the day, but desolate at night, as you would expect. As I stood at the main entrance I reflected for a minute, almost hearing the noise from the crowds and the unmistakable sound of the white knuckle rides whizzing past. The time was 9pm and it was still warm with no breeze at all - ideal for night photography, although the temperature was quick to drop as the night wore on.
So here I was, back at the place where it all started. The genre of astro photography was new to me back in 2015 and I've pulled in many a shot since that introduction, but Blackgang Chine will always be the reason why I got hooked on this kind of photography. With no experience at all, I managed to pull in a memorable shot of the smuggler, with the backdrop that was the galactic core. It could've went wrong, but I managed to hit the sweet spot with those camera settings. The rest is history ha!
Again, the galactic core was there to be shot at. An amazing spectacle, with amazing foreground. I 'd lost count of how many times we'd visited this place as a family. It's a special place with special memories. I parked up and quickly got to work, firing off a few shots of the big man, then it was time to pack up and head off.
Technical info - Canon 5D4, Samyang 24mm lens @ f2.8, Shutter 20 seconds, ISO 3200
Next stop - Compton Bay Car Park...stay tuned!
Ash
