Milky Way and Cornwall Coast

This six-day workshop focuses on landscape astrophotography and the stunning Cornish coast. Weather permitting, we will be making striking images of the bright core of the Milky Way and star trails in the most spectacular coastal scenery and darkest skies to be found anywhere in England, at the very best time of year.

During the afternoons, we will have extended indoor tutorials on landscape astrophotography, covering all aspects of photographing the night sky. The techniques to capture great photographs of planets, stars, meteors and star trails will be covered in detail, as well as the Milky Way and other galaxies visible to the unaided eye. Subjects covered include selecting and illuminating foregrounds, exposure at night, focusing at night, star tracking and stacking images to maximise detail and reduce noise. Each evening we will travel to a fantastic location on the west Cornish coast to put these techniques into practice. Starting with terrestrial landscape photography around sunset, we will then wait for darkness to fall to begin our astrophotography. Full guidance will be given on settings in the field. At this time of year, astronomical darkness lasts from 11pm to 3.45am so we expect to be out until the sky starts to brighten, at which point we will return to our hotel to sleep until late morning. The best time for photography of the Milky Way core will be between 2am and 4am.

Later in the workshop, our tutorials will cover image processing, giving a practical demonstration of how to get the best out of the images captured on the course. The images on this page were each built from between 30 and 120 RAW files, all identical in composition, and these techniques will be fully explained. It is recommended to bring your own laptop with Lightroom and Photoshop loaded to do your own processing during the tour, with expert guidance.

The workshop has been programmed for the optimum time of year when the core of the Milky Way is most visible in the south-eastern sky and the moon is absent. Before the Milky Way core rises, we will photograph star trails and other astronomical subjects, using distinctive features such as Cornish tin mines as foregrounds. The prospects of clear skies during at least some of the five nights of this tour are good but cannot be guaranteed. In the event of overcast conditions, all the indoor tuition will be delivered and we will do additional terrestrial landscape photography outdoors. This will include light painting at night, which can produce very interesting images. Our evening and sunset photography will include iconic locations such as Land’s End, Porth Nanven and Godrevy Point so, whatever the weather, you will return home with many striking and memorable landscape images of west Cornwall, at its most delightful in spring.

In order to get the most from this workshop, you should be fit enough to walk several miles in the dark on tracks and coastal footpaths, some of them steep, to reach shooting positions and be comfortable with a photography schedule that lasts from roughly 6pm to 4am each night.

The tour is based at the superbly located and very comfortable Polurrian Hotel on the Lizard. Just a few miles from England’s southernmost point and surrounded by the darkest skies to be found anywhere in the country, this is a superlative place for Milky Way photography. Indoor tutorials will be in a conference room at the hotel.

This workshop will teach you all you need to know to do your own landscape astrophotography in a range of situations. Participants will also receive a complimentary copy of my recently published book Photographing the Heavens, with a wealth of practical advice and details of all the camera settings you will need.

Group Size: Maximum of 6 participants.

Recommended photographic equipment:
• Digital single lens reflex camera or mirrorless camera capable of producing acceptable quality images at ISO 3200 or 6400.
• Wide angle lens (ideally 14 to 16mm minimum focal length) with a maximum aperture of at least F/2.8 (ideally F/2) for astrophotography.
• Other lenses ranging from wide angle (ideally 16mm on full frame) to short telephoto (200mm+) for day-time photography.
• Sturdy tripod (essential).
• Lockable remote cable release.
• Neutral density filters (recommended for daytime photography).
• Waterproof camera cover.
• Head torch and hand torch.
• Warm clothes, walking boots and wellington boots.

Dates:

• 8 to 13 May 2024

Meet at 2pm on Day 1, depart midday on Day 6.

Six day workshop, cost £1,445 based on twin/double occupancy of room. Single supplement £350.

If you wish to bring a partner who will not be participating in the photography workshop activities you are welcome to do that at an additional cost of £450 for five nights (in place of the single supplement).

Included: Accommodation, breakfast (11am) and evening meal (5pm) at the Polurrian Hotel for five nights, travel during the workshop, guiding and tuition, collection from/return to Penzance railway station if required at the beginning and end.

Excluded: Lunches, drinks, travel to and from west Cornwall.

Comments by participants in previous Milky Way and Cornwall Coast Photography Tours by Natural World Photography:

"A wonderful array of locations and a jam-packed schedule. Always lots to learn. Our tour leader certainly went above and beyond! The hotel was in a lovely setting ... It was absolutely fantastic Robert, all your hard work paid off and I thoroughly enjoyed it." AM, Gloucestershire

"Access to wonderful locations, number of locations visited each day, matching photography type to time of evening/night and weather conditions, adapting schedule to weather conditions, tuition out in field and in class, learnt something new every day. Liked the way the classroom presentations were different to those in Dorset in 2012 (new content – not a repeat of last tour) Enjoyed the idea of using a local guide, good to see their process, and local knowledge of the area. Excellent planning. It was a fantastic tour from start to finish. Really good." CS, London

"The meticulous planning and organization was second to none. Particularly enjoyed the variety of shoots that we undertook." PM, Hampshire

"I like the attention to detail and the fact that you encourage us to make the best image we can. I appreciated the thought and organisation that has obviously gone into making this Cornwall astrophotography course - being at locations at the best times, knowledge of tides and weather and the introduction of a local astrophotographer to give familiar local information. Thank you for your patience (when I wander off!) and tuition. I always come away from the Natural World Photography courses with a better knowledge of my camera and how to get the best out of it together with a greater understanding of night-time photography. I feel inspired to continue my investigations into astrophotography." LM, Staffordshire

"Loved the astro photography opportunities and also enjoyed the day time shoots. Appreciated your help, especially with the night time setups. Overall definitely lived up to expectations." LC, London

"Locations were fantastic, Kynance Cove was great for the Milky Way, as were the tin mines for the star trails (and Milky Way). Sunset locations were also great, and from my collection I think I will get at least 6 ‘grade A’ pictures from this tour (by my standards) , which is exceptional, better than one per day. Most of the locations had a lot of space for the group, and those that didn’t were managed very well by Robert. All in all, an excellent tour, which I would gladly do again, and have no hesitation in recommending to my fellow photographers!" SH, Berkshire