6 Stargazing Tips from a Beginner!

The vlog this weekend, is all about stargazing (or attempting to) and photo shoots. I thought that instead of filling the post of the weekly/fortnightly vlog, I would share some images of the weekend and also talk about the experience, top tips going forward and must have items. 

I've been stargazing twice before in my life and I really enjoyed it but it was a very different experience. The last time I did it, it was so hot and in the middle of a desert in Egypt. The other time was in Austria on a specific trip, with a very knowledgeable guide who talked through the stars and lines. This time was a little different. It was in March, in the UK and as you can probably guess, it was freezing cold! 

All we quite different experiences to be honest and I think they all have their advantages. I used a telescope twice and just eyes for the other. Telescopes can be fun, especially if you're wanting to see stars up close to identify them, but simply looking can also be a great activity. I think sometimes going back to basics can be just as perfect, and even more so romantic. 

Onto the tips...

1. Go to a secluded location. It is really important to travel to an area that has low lighting. We went to a secluded forest, with no buildings around and no street lights. That meant that it was almost completely pitch black. 
   
   
   
2. Pick the right day. The perfect day is so hard to come by, and sometimes you just fancy going, even if it's not perfect so I would say, still go for it! However, the best day is no clouds, no rain and a crescent moon. One of the difficulties we came across was actually being able to see the stars clearly because the moon was almost a full moon and therefore even though we were in the middle of nowhere, it was still quite bright. 
   
   
   
   
3. Prepare in advance. For us it was a little bit of a last minute decision but we still prepared some basics with some snacks and drinks. Also, remember a blanket to sit and lie on! I'm also usually cold so I had a thick coat, gloves and scarves, plus a blanket, hot water bottle and hand warmers. I was nice and toasty in the car between setting the telescope and cameras up. 
   
   
   
4. Learn the stars. If you find yourself really enjoying the stars, there are so many books out there to learn the constellations, but also some free apps. I would recommend Star Walk. I've only used it once but I really enjoyed it. 
   
   
   
   
5. Look around. Don't just look at the sky either, you can also enjoy the scenery and sometimes taking images of silhouettes and lit up buildings can be really inspiring. 
   
   
   
   
6. Most importantly, have fun and experiment! We took a lot of pictures with long exposure settings and used a torch to play with light. 
   

I thought I'd also share some of the photos that I got taken whilst I had a mini photoshoot on one of out recent walks too! First, Luke took some ones just of me, some natural and some whilst setting up the camera settings. 

Then he took some photos with me! I was so impressed with the little control and I will absolutely love these pictures for years to come. 

These are the first ever pictures of us kissing as well! Do you like pictures of people kissing? I've always loved them but I know some people find them very cringe-y.