BRITAIN AT WAR

For many years I have had an interest in World War One and World War Two along with photography. This has given me the opportunity to visit and photograph various sites with connections to both wars.

Over the years I have written articles on my Leger Battlefield Tours to France, Belgium and Holland. These have included trips to The Western Front, Normandy, Dunkirk & Arnhem and you can read about these along with a selection of photographs, by following the links here... https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2025/03/history-articles.html

However, in this article, which will be regularly updated, I will take a look at places, with a military connection, that I have visited in Britain with photos and a brief history about each location.

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PETWORTH SCHOOL BOMBING

On the morning of Tuesday 29 September 1942 tragedy struck Petworth, a small village in West Sussex.

It was a normal day, and the Petworth Boy’s School was full of children and lessons were underway. No air-raid siren was sounded when a lone German Junkers JU88 dropped its load on the school while heading home.

The school wasn’t the intended target, and the bombs were meant to fall on Petworth House where troops were stationed.

Twenty-eight children, aged between seven and twelve, and two teachers were killed along with two people who worked in the nearby laundry.

John Exall, a pupil, recalled the event, “At break time I was playing around in the cloakroom when the first bomb dropped. I remember seeing the dust fall from the ceiling. I ran to get out of the building but was told to go the other way as we had been told there was an escape route through the laundry into the tunnel that went into Petworth Park, but that was not to be as the bomb fell on the laundry too. There were two more bombs and by that time I don't remember much more as I was buried under the rubble. I came to and heard a lot of voices and realised that I couldn't move except for one arm, which I managed to push up through the rubble.”

The original school building no longer exists but there is a plaque with the inscription, ‘This memorial marks the site of the Petworth Boys School destroyed by enemy action Michaelmas 1942 with the tragic loss of two teachers and twenty-eight pupils forever remembered.’

Just a short walk from the original site is Petworth Horsham Road Cemetery where twenty-seven of the children and the two teachers are buried in a communal grave. The grave bears the inscription, ‘In Loving Memory of the headmaster, teacher and boys who lost their lives when Petworth Boys School was bombed on 29th September 1942.’

On the day they were buried, Canadian soldiers, who had been stationed nearby and helped with the rescue efforts, carried the coffins to the grave.

The Cemetery, which dates from Victorian times, was overgrown and in need of some attention when I visited a few years ago but is still worth a visit.

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STRETCHER RAILINGS

In the years before the start of World War Two the British Government formed the Air Raid Precautions (ARP), later to become the Civil Defence Service, whose role during the war was to protect civilians from air-raids. Among their many tasks was ensuring the blackout was adhered to, handing out gas masks and helping people to the shelters.

One of the tools used by the ARP were the emergency stretchers for transporting those injured during the bombing raids to safety. The Government had anticipated that this was one of the items that would be required and by the summer of 1939 more than 150,000 had been produced in places including Hertfordshire and the West Midlands and distributed to local authorities. Eventually more than 600,000 would be produced.

These stretchers, which were very basic with just two steel poles, wire mesh and curved supports to keep them off the ground and make it easy for them to be picked up, were easy and quick to construct and easier than wooden or canvas stretchers to clean and disinfect.

The war effort saw London’s many housing estates stripped of their metal railings for use in the construction of weaponry and other needs.

Following the end of the war there was a large supply of these surplus stretchers and London City Council decided to put these to good use.

It was decided to replace the railings that had been lost during the war at estates in areas including Brixton, Deptford, Peckham, Dulwich and, as shown in these photos, Becket House in Tabard Street, Southwark.

The stretchers were suspended from vertical supports sunk into concrete and are easy to spot, mainly due to the curved supports section.

Over the years many of these stretchers/railings have rusted, fallen into disrepair and been removed which is a shame. Fortunately, a society was formed to preserve and maintain them. The Stretcher Railing Company was created to raise funding and help local councils and conservation authorities to undertake the complex restoration required. Back in 2017 they created a map showing the locations of the railings.

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CUCKMERE HAVEN

In 1940 one of the many locations along the south coast of England that was a possible invasion spot for Operation Seelowe (Operation Sealion), Germany's code name for their planned invasion of Britain, was Cuckmere Haven. Located between Eastbourne and Brighton it is where the Cuckmere River meets the English Channel and was flanked by high chalk cliffs.

As a result of this a number of defences were constructed in the area to prevent a possible landing by the Germans.

Although much of the original defences have been dismantled or suffered damage over the years, including the anti-tank scaffolding (often known as Admiralty scaffolding or Obstacle Z.1) and barbed wire, there are still many original structures that can be visited in the area which now lies within the Seven Sisters Country Park.

There are several pillboxes and machine gun emplacements in the area of different styles including Type 24, FW3/25 and Type 26 as well as a number that are defined as non-standard.

It is possible to go inside a couple but care should always be taken. Some are located further inland but most overlook the mouth of the Cuckmere River.

You can also still see examples of the slit trenches, large defensive earthworks that could be occupied by between 10 and 20 soldiers.

Finally, running along the banks of the river are a number of tank traps, known as dragons teeth. Pyramidal anti-tank obstacles constructed of reinforced concrete to impede the movement of tanks and other armoured vehicles. 

The Seven Sisters Country Park and Cuckmere Haven are well worth a visit if you are interested in how Britain prepared for a possible invasion.

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GROVE ROAD, MILE END, LONDON

In 1944 Germany launched the first of the V1 (Flying Bombs) on Britain. Launched from various sites across France they had a range of almost 257 kilometres (160 miles). 

The first V1s to hit Britain were launched on 13 June 1944. There were four on this first attack which was not a trial but the start of a major full-scale offensive. The first to hit, at 4.13am, fell about five miles west of Gravesend at Swanscombe. The second six minutes later in Cuckfield, Sussex while a fourth fell at 5.06 am at Platt, near Sevenoaks. The third had hit London.

At 4.25am on 13 June 1944, a few days after the D-Day Landings, the first V1 (Flying Bomb) fell on Central London. The V1 hit the LNER (London North Eastern Railway) bridge and the houses nearby in Grove Road. 

Six people were killed and nine seriously injured. A further 200 were left homeless following the attack.

The casualties were, Dora Cohen (aged 55), Connie Day (32), Willie Rogers (50), Lennie Sherman (12), Ellen Woodcraft (19) and her son Tom (eight-months old).

The bridge was badly damaged but within 40 hours it was repaired, with a temporary bridge which stood until 1948 when a permanent structure was erected. 

In June 1987 a steel blue plaque was placed on the bridge by the Greater London Council following a proposal by Joseph Waters, an east-ender whose  brother had been injured. The plaque was later stolen and replaced with an English Heritage ceramic blue plaque which remains today.

Grove Road is one of many World War One and Two sites I have visited in London and I will be covering more in future updates.

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DEPTFORD CREEK LIFTING BRIDGE

One of my many interests and hobbies is disused railways and I have spent many hours in London hunting out and photographing old stations and other related buildings and structures.

I recently followed part of the route of the London and Greenwich Railway which was London's first passenger steam railway and opened in stages between 1836 and 1838. My walk took me alongside the Southwark Viaduct which runs for almost four miles and carried the railway from London Bridge to Greenwich. It was constructed with 878 arches and originally, in 1836, only went as far as Deptford but was extended to Greenwich in 1838.

One of the places I missed on my walk was the Deptford Creek Lifting Bridge and during my latest London trip I took time to visit and in this article I give some history of the area, the bridge and include many of the photos I took. 

Deptford is an area on the south bank of the Thames that lies within the boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham. The name Deptford originates from a ford where the River Ravensbourne was crossed by the A2 (Watling Street... the old Roman Road) and first appeared in records as Depeford, meaning deep ford, back in the 1200's.

In the mid-16th century it was home to the Deptford Dockyard, one of the Royal Dockyards, and was a major shipbuilding location until it closed in 1869. The whole area is currently undergoing regeneration focussed on improving the town centre with amenities and housing projects.

Deptford Creek is where the Ravensbourne meets the tidal Thames and at high tide is very deep. This meant that it could be used by sailing barges with their tall masts who had right of way over any other form of transport. This meant that when plans were made to extend the London and Greenwich Railway to Greenwich a decision had to me made as to how the railway could cross the Creek, a challenging task for the railway. The idea to extend the viaduct was a non-starter due to both the high tides and the right of way granted to shipping.

Two options were put forward, a swing bridge or lifting bridge. There would have been many problems with constructing a swing bridge at the same height as the viaduct, so the decision was made to construct a lifting bridge. This would allow the rail tracks to be raised letting high-masted shipping through. The complications in constructing such a structure delayed the extension of the line to Greenwich which didn't open until December 1838.

There have been three lifting bridges built over the years with the first opening in November 1838. Constructed of iron it had a central section where the two railway lines crossed the creek. Opening and lifting the bridge was a time-consuming task which would take between 30 minutes and an hour to complete and required eight strong men to complete the task. Bolts had to be removed that secured the tracks to the fish-plates and a complicated series of chains, pulleys and counterweights were then tackled by the men to raise the section of the bridge and allow ships to pass. Delays in the operation often meant that train timetables were seriously disrupted with passengers facing long waits, either on the train waiting to continue their journey or those people waiting in Greenwich to meet friends and family.

An Act of Parliament required the bridge to be raised promptly and in a timely manner. Failure to raise the bridge was a criminal offence and the railway company could be fined. It wasn't until the 1980s that the act was abolished.

In 1884 the original lifting bridge was replaced after being in service for more than forty years. However, technology had not improved the procedure to raise the tracks, which was now even more complicated than before. The actual rails had to be removed to allow the bridge to be raised and rather than eight men it now required twelve!

This second bridge was in service for almost eighty years before being replaced in December 1963. The new bridge was designed by British Rails Southern Regions Chief Civil Engineer, A H Cantrell and built by the Glasgow firm Sir William Arrol & Co.

Any barges wanting to pass through during high tide would have to book a time in advance to allow the bridge to be opened.

In the 2000s the central span, which weighed around 40 tonnes, was welded shut and new rails were laid in a permanent position.

The bridge, which is now a listed structure, is managed by Network Rail who are considering removing the lifting mechanism which, after being inoperative for almost thirty years, has become run-down and fallen into disrepair.

Often described as 'ugly' it is part of Deptford's industrial heritage and many locals would hate to see it demolished. Maybe a new lick of paint would make it more attractive and could also serve to protect the ironwork which has either rusted over the years or was, at some time, painted black.

My own personal opinion is that it should remain, freshly painted, as it has so much historical value and from experience I have seen so many old railway structures demolished or left to slowly disintegrate and it is such a shame.

Visiting the bridge is easy and it can be reached from either Deptford or Greenwich Stations, both on the line out of London Bridge and with a journey time of less than ten minutes, and then a short ten minute walk from either station.

I approached the bridge from Greenwich Station, continued across Ha'Penny Bridge and along the Creekside Street Art Footpath, where all the railway viaduct arches are covered in street art, before turning back.

Ha'Penny Bridge, which is painted blue and visible in one of the photos above, also has an interesting history. It's actual name is Ha'Penny Hatch Bridge and the original wooden bridge was built in 1836 allowing passengers who had travelled by train to Deptford, the end of the line at the time, access to the other side of Deptford Creek and onto Greenwich.

As we have already seen the line was extended in 1838. For those two years it allowed passengers to finish their journey, on foot, at the cost of a halfpenny. The original wooden bridge closed in the 1920's.

The modern replacement, built in 2002, still gives access across the creek and has a steel lifting mechanism which continues to allow access for boats that occasionally make their way up and down the creek.

Most of the photos included in this article were taken from the Ha'Penny Bridge and the Creekside Street Art Footpath although I also walked around the local area to capture different views.

I enjoyed the walk and pleased to have viewed this impressive structure and would recommend a visit to anyone interested in the history of the railways. This will not be my last visit to London and I look forward to discovering more of London's hidden gems.

I will be covering some of my other photographic trips to old railways and will be posting more articles in the future.

HEATHROW - FINAL APPROACH

Over the years I have photographed many subjects and enjoy all aspects of photography including architecture, disused railways, astrophotography although my favourite is my work with the wonderful models I have been fortunate to know over the past ten years. This has included fashion, portrait, cosplay, swimwear and boudoir/lingerie photoshoots. I have been fortunate to have been published in several magazines and even had one of my images used as the cover on a local magazine. More of my work can be seen on my Instagram page @peterlewry and on my Purple Port profile... https://purpleport.com/portfolio/peterlewry/

Recently I discovered another subject to photograph...planes, and in particular capturing them taking off and landing at London Heathrow Airport. In this latest article I look at the history of the airport,  the history of plane spotting and photography along with my own experiences and examples of my work.

Heathrow Airport was called London Airport until 1966 and is now known as London Heathrow. Located 14 miles from Central London it is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system, the others being Gatwick, Luton, City, Stanstead and Southend.

It was founded in 1930 as a small airfield but in the years that followed the end of World War Two it developed into a much larger airport. Over the past seventy-five years it has expanded and today has two parallel east-west runways, four operational passenger terminals and is the main hub for both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

There have been many significant events at Heathrow over the years... The first non-stop flight to California sets a record for distance and time (1957), The Beatles are mobbed when they leave and arrive back from America (1964), Terminal 1 opens (1969), Concorde makes its first passenger flight (1976), London Underground link is established (1977), Heathrow Express rail service launched (1998), Airbus A380 makes its first landing (2006), Terminal 5 officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen (2008), Brand new Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal opens (2014), Terminal 1 is closed permanently (2015) and Heathrow records its busiest year to date with more than 80 million passengers served (2018). 

There are many airlines operating at Heathrow including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, United, Qatar, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and several more. Among the types of planes used by these companies are Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner's, Boeing 737's and 777's, Airbus A319's, 320's, 321's, 330's and the impressive A380.

Plane spotting is a hobby similar to that of train spotting with enthusiasts watching, photographing or detailing their movements... or even all three. People have been watching planes since aviation began although it wasn't until the Second World War that the term 'plane spotters' became a common term. It was during the war that civilians were encouraged to observe aircraft for public safety in the United Kingdom, something which was organised and encouraged by the Royal Observer Corps.

The activity led to the publication of a magazine, The Aeroplane Spotter, first published in January 1941 and, after 217 issued, ceased publication in July 1948. 

With an increased interest several groups and publications have formed over the years and the following years saw a steady increase in the hobby.

Although I had attended many military air shows throughout the 1980s, at bases including Biggin Hill, Mildenhall, Fairford, Middle Wallop, and watched the planes taking off and landing at the end of the runway at Gatwick Airport I'd never considered taking photographs seriously.

It was after seeing images on social media of planes flying low over the houses on their approach to London Heathrow that made me want to try my hand at similar photography. I spent some time researching suitable locations and the dates and times planes took off and landed in both directions, using the Heathrow Alternation Schedule which was available on the Heathrow site. There are two runways, 27L and 27R, and the direction of flights change every other week, although sometimes this is different, as I would find out during my first trip.

Research showed that Myrtle Avenue, a short walk from Hatton Cross Underground, was a popular stop for plane enthusiasts and photographers. It is located at the eastern end of the south runway 27L. At the end of the road is a large green field where those with similar interests congregate. At times there can be just 2 or 3 people while more often there will be well over 20 people, with their cameras, chairs and a good supply of food and drink.

In March 2024 I made my first trip and on arriving at Heathrow discovered the planes were only taking off in the direction of London rather than coming into land. This was due to the weather conditions and wind direction.

Although I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to capture the planes approaching over the houses I did learn a lot about plane photography on this first visit. I was still able to capture some images which, for my first efforts, I was very pleased with. As they were taking off it was harder to get good images of the whole plane and most of the images I took that day showed more of the underside of the planes, but it was still a fun and interesting few hours.

It was amazing to see the variety of planes, airlines and the frequency which meant there was a plane flying over every 90 seconds. 

I had the chance to chat to a few other plane enthusiasts/photographers and learnt a lot from them, including a few tips on the times and dates that were best for photography and also suggesting that I use the Flightradar24 app. 

Once home I downloaded the Flightradar24 app and found it was invaluable for anyone interested in spotting planes. It is the best flight tracker for both IOS and Android on which you can track live air traffic around the world from a mobile device.

The app allows you to see flights around the world in real time, follow flights in 3D, search flights (by flight number, call sign, airline or route), find out which flights are nearby with AR View by pointing your device at the sky and see data from past flights. Most importantly for those wishing to photograph planes is the option to view airport departures and arrivals with flight status, delay stats, weather conditions and aircraft on the ground. This is also available by choosing a particular airport in the menu or tapping on the airport pin on the map. Although I only refer to it for flights at Heathrow it does cover every other airport in the world and has been an invaluable tool during my photography trips.

My next trip was a couple of weeks later and having checked my app before leaving home I knew that I would be able to capture images of the planes coming into land.

I captured the best photos I had taken so far as I had the opportunity to watch and photograph the planes as they came into land on Runway 27L.

It was quite a sight watching the planes flying low over the houses and trees and flying so low to where I was standing as they crossed overhead and approached the runway.

I stayed for almost three hours and among the airlines that I photographed were Qatar, Logan Air, Air France, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and even one operated by DHL. 

My favourite images from this trip were those of the Emirates and Singapore Airlines Airbus A380, an impressive plane, and worth the long wait. It was the final plane I captured before I headed back into Central London. 

My third visit was another opportunity to capture planes landing on Runway 27L and again I was really pleased with the images. It was during this visit that I captured the best, and my favourite, images of planes and the houses/trees which really showed how low they are when coming into land.

I also took this opportunity to get some close-ups of the undercarriage and engines. 

My last trip found me viewing the planes taking off again and with everything I had learnt during my previous visits meant that there was a marked improvement on the images I took during my first efforts.

The images I have included in this article are only a fraction of those I have taken during my four visits.

Until now I have only used Myrtle Avenue, and the immediate area, as my location but there are several other places which I plan on visiting in the future and will be making more photography trips to Heathrow. Keep an eye on my Instagram profile... @peterlewry for more images.

THRONE OF GLASS PHOTOSHOOT

Throne of Glass is a series of fantasy novels written by Sarah J. Maas and published by Bloomsbury between 2012 and 2018.

Photographer: Unknown

Maas started writing her debut novel, which would eventually become Throne of Glass, when she was just sixteen years old. At the time she posted several chapters online at FictionPress.com with the original title Queen of Glass. It was subsequently removed from the site when she took the decision to publish the novel.

In 2008 Maas started sending the story to various literary agents and, in 2009,  went on to sign with The Laura Dial Literary Agency. The following year Bloomsbury purchased Throne of Glass and published the novel two years later.

They would publish a further six volumes, Crown of Midnight (2013), Heir of Fire (2014), Queen of Shadows (2015), Empire of Storms (2016), Tower of Dawn (2017) and Kingdom of Ash (2018). 

Four prequel novellas, along with an original novella, all set two years before Throne of Glass were published in 2012 as The Assassin's Blade. 

'When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the king's champion and earn her freedom. Her name is Celaena Sardothien - beautiful, deadly and destined for greatness.'

Throne of Glass follows the journey of 18-year old Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin living in a corrupt kingdom that is ruled by the tyrannical King of Adarlan. Following a year in a slave camp called Endovier, suffering for her crimes, she accepts Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard's offer to compete with other assassins for the opportunity to serve as the King's Champion and finally gain her freedom. This leads to unexpected bonds with Chaol, the Captain of the Guard, and Dorian, the Crown Prince of Ardalan. As time passes she is drawn into a conspiracy and series of battles which lead to discoveries about the Kingdom and herself.

The main characters of the story are Aelin Ashryver Whitehorn Galathynius (Celaena Sardothien), the main protagonist in the series, Rowan Whitehorn Galathynius, a full-blooded Fae who is over three centuries old, Dorian Havilliard II, Crown Prince of Adarlan, Manon Blackbeak Crochan, a witch and heir to the Blackbeak clan and Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Guard. 

The books received positive reviews with Publishers Weekly in their review of Throne of Glass, writing, "This is not a cuddly romance, but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn't lost her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges her outlook. Maas tends toward over-description, but the verve and freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read."

The Guardian awarded the book 5-stars and mentioned that the main character, Celaena, was more 'relatable' than most other female protagonists while USA Today called Celaena a 'next level Cinderella.'

The connection with Cinderella was something Maas spoke about in an interview, "In the 10 years that I've been working on the series, Throne of Glass has become more of an original epic fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, but you can still find a few nods to the legend here and there."

Artist: Unknown

I recently had the pleasure of working with two local cosplayers, FaelightandFolklore and Lemondreams_cosplay as Aelin and Rowan on a photoshoot based on the book.

I had worked with them many times before, as a couple and individually, on shoots including Snow White & Prince Florian, Ariel & Eric (The Little Mermaid), Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) and Feyre Archeron & Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses). They have also become good friends and I am sure there will be many more shoots in the future.

They had been looking for a location that would work and I suggested Lewes Priory, a local ruin, that I had used many times before.

Communications before the shoot were excellent with a plan for the shoot, what we all wanted to achieve and details about time and place to meet all agreed well in advance.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

They turned up on time and were soon kitted out in their costumes ready to begin the shoot. I have to say that they are both excellent cosplayers, two of the best I have worked with, with an obvious love of what they do. Their costumes were excellent and the attention to detail was amazing.

The location had so many areas that we could use and we made the most of every part of the ruins to create a variety of images.

The theme of the book gave us many opportunities to capture individual shots as well as those of both characters together, recreating various aspects of the story. 

I was especially pleased with the series of photos recreating swordplay with both of them effortlessly battling it out and looking every bit like they really wanted to injure each other.

However, in the story their relationship grows and Rowan proves his complete loyalty to Aelin. This is something we captured during a series of images where they embrace.

We took many photos during the shoot and those featured in this article are only a small selection.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

At every shoot I work on I have always suggested ideas for poses but also always happy for those I work with to have their own input. I feel every shoot is a joint effort and both parties need to be creative and end up with the results they set out to achieve.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

We all seemed to be on the same wavelength when it came to ideas and poses during the shoot. One such idea was to have them run towards the camera, swords raised and looking menacing. We took several shots and captured some great images with them together and individually.

It would be impossible to pick any favourites, there are just too many, but I do love this one of them both relaxing by a tree.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

Following the shoot we stopped for a well-deserved hot drink and the chance to look through the photos back-of-camera. I was happy to hear their positive comments. 

Having received their selection of images I started work on the editing. I provided the images in both colour and black and white along with a few 'special edits' that I had worked on. We were all very pleased with the results which we have posted on our various social media sites.

It is nice to have behind the scenes shots and I am grateful for these two images that capture a different view of an enjoyable few hours.

I really enjoyed the shoot, working with two great cosplayers at a wonderful location and I am looking forward to working with them both again in the future. 

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You can read more about the Throne of Glass book series here... https://sarahjmaas.com/books/throne-of-glass-series/

You can also check out both @FaelightandFolklore and @Lemondreams_cosplay on Instagram

More images from the shoot, and my other work, can be found on my Instagram page @peterlewry and on Purple Port

HOW HIGH THE MOON

Welcome to my latest blog entry which takes a brief look at one of my other interests... astronomy and astrophotography.

I have been a freelance photographer for more than seven years and during that time photographed many subjects including landscapes, architecture and wildlife. However, my main interest is working with models, both hobbyist and semi-professional. Over the years I have covered many styles... fashion, portrait, cosplay, swimwear, horror, pin-up, vintage, retro, lingerie and boudoir. I have worked with some wonderful models, most multiple times, and have been fortunate to have been published in a number of magazines. Other articles on my blog cover this in more detail.

A couple of years ago I purchased a new 150-600mm f5-6.3 Sigma lens which gave me the opportunity to pursue a new hobby, astronomy and astrophotography. Although only a beginner and with a lot to learn I have been pleased with my efforts so far.

My early attempts were images of full-moons, with mixed success and the three images below, all taken using my Canon EOS 77D and Sigma lens, are examples of my early efforts.

Flower Moon - May 2020

Full Moon - 30 November 2020

Snow Moon - 27 February 2021

I soon realised I needed to expand my knowledge of astronomy and astrophotography. One of the earliest pieces of information I discovered was that taking images of full-moons wasn't the best option, due to the fact that there is not much detail in the images and they looked very flat.

I wanted to achieve a well-exposed image where you could make out craters etc and soon learnt that to achieve this I should photograph the moon during other phases, such as crescent and half-moons, when it is less illuminated by the sun and when shadows help exaggerate the surface.

I bought a couple of books and magazines on astronomy/astrophotography from which I learnt a lot more about the night sky and capturing great images. 

Last year I purchased a telescope, a Celestron Nexstar 4SE, which would give me the opportunity to expand my interest, learn more about the night sky and capture better images by fitting my DSLR camera to the telescope.

My main interest is the moon and I knew when I purchased the telescope that it was more suitable for planetary rather than deep space imaging.

It took a while to understand how to use the telescope and I found alignment an uphill struggle, although it was made easier by the fact that I was only viewing the moon. It wasn't long before I had all the necessary pieces of hardware to connect my camera.

Having learnt about the different phases I avoided full-moons and started photographing at different times of the moons cycle... Waxing Gibbous, First Quarter, Waxing Crescent etc.

I made several attempts and most ended up being deleted but I soon took the image below which, although not perfect, I was very pleased with. It received many positive comments when I posted it on social media including some from members of a local astronomy club which I recently joined.

27 August 2021

At the present time I have only used the telescope to view and capture images of the moon. It is a steep learning curve and in the future I hope to improve my skills and attempt to capture images of other planets.

Recently I connected the telescope to my laptop making alingment much easier and I'm sure in the future I will be adding to my astrophotography kit.

My latest image, and personal favourite, was taken at twilight on 14 April 2022 and once again I was pleased with the results and the comments it received.

14 April 2022

I will never be an expert at astrophotography but will continue to watch the night sky and take photographs and hope one day to take that amazing shot that will make people go wow!