These Stunning Photos Show the Beauty of the Region's Dark Skies
See the beauty of the region's dark skies
Sunderland fan Lee is from Seaham but lives near Newcastle. He’s always admired the night sky and wanted to see the Northern Lights, taking spontaneous trips across the North East in the search of clear skies and a chance to capture the Aurora.
Lee enjoys the peace and being alone with his thoughts. ‘It is nature’s therapy,’ he explains. ‘You also don’t realise just how stunning the night sky is until you venture into dark skies away from the light pollution. It truly is breathtaking, the amount of things in our skies that you ordinarily wouldn’t see or think about.’
Lee’s favourite photograph is of the Northern Lights over Durham Cathedral taken in 2024. ‘It’s such a unique photo in such an iconic place where you wouldn’t normally try to capture the Aurora,’ he says. ‘Light pollution in the middle of a city would normally prevent such a photo being taken but the Aurora that night was so strong.
‘My favourite place and subject to photograph is now Dunstanburgh Castle. It’s such a stunning place on both sides of the castle and caters to a wide variety of shots including Aurora, meteors, the Milky Way and moon shots.’
Lee’s best tip for beginner photographers is to try to decide what kind of photography really interests you and put most of your focus on that. ‘Speak to other photographers and don’t be shy to ask questions,’ he adds. ‘Photography has so many aspects to it, you never stop learning. Plan as much as possible for the shot you want to take before you go to a location. Whether you have a phone or a camera, spend as much time researching or learning the functionality and settings of whatever you use. It will make things so much easier out in the field.’
