19/09/24

This ranks amongst the finest trips I’ve ever embarked on. The reason the photos are sparse is that I took the a7sii with me in order to practise my videography and, ultimately, produce a travelogue about the trip, which is still in the process of grading. 

The total lack of artificial light across the northernmost points of the journey saw my first attempt at astrophotography, and in turn it was my first time learning about the rule of 500 and other principles. The 50mm f/1.4 proved to be great for the occasion. My only regret is that I didn’t have a tripod or gorillapod with me that I could have used to steady the camera; I could have used digital zoom to help isolate stars and perfect the focus. Instead I had to set the focus, then the timer, then lay the camera on its back and hope for the best under howling gales. Still, I think the results are adequate and they telegraph the vastitude and brilliance of the night’s sky that far north. We actually saw a couple shooting stars! I wasn’t lucky enough to get one in my shots. That really would have been a blessing.