Nocturnal Shenanigans at Wheal Coates and Beyond

            It's only when I set up my tripod beneath the stars that I remember why I don't do this very often. Confusion reigns eternal in the darkness as I fumble around with the settings, unable to see the subject or the camera. Or the subject through the camera for that matter. But hey, there's a comet about. A flying mountain out there hurtling through space and grabbing our attention before waving farewell to Planet Earth for another 6800 years. Scraping past us at a distance of 103,000,000 kilometres is considered to be something of a near miss in astronomical terms apparently.

I arrived in daylight feeling prepared. I'd already dialled in my settings and switched the focus to manual after tracing a test shot on the engine house. I was ready and there were two hours to enjoy the ambiance and sip my spiced lemon and ginger tea as I waited upon the quiet little patch of ground I'd chosen. I got talking to Mark, one of the small number of photographers who'd gathered at the witching hour under the setting sun. Mark had shot the comet a couple of nights earlier and was ready to point it out when it would eventually appear in the evening sky. Which he did. Although it was further to the west than I'd expected. With plan A up in smoke I realised that I hadn't given much consideration to the alternatives, and wandered back up the slope with my head torch illuminating the scene to the barely concealed dismay of a number of others who'd lined up opposite the engine house in the darkness with their cameras. 

It was time to make a hasty retreat to a secluded spot where I could set the tripod down and make a series of heroic selfies, my head torch pointed towards the night sky. If I post the results I'll elaborate on that part of the evening as it was an adventure in itself.

Content that I'd exhausted the selfie idea to its limits I returned to the scene of my earlier crime. Everyone had evidently taken their shots and gone home now that I'd stopped blundering about in the middle of their compositions doing an impression of Blackpool Illuminations. It was just past midnight and I had the place to myself. Or at least I did until two new head torches arrived and did some blundering of their own, right in front of the engine house during a lengthy opening of the shutter on my part. And here's the result of their passing through the scene at the perfect moment. Far from annoyed, I had been silently willing them to head that way as I suspected it would produce a happy result. A few minutes later the head torches headed towards me, so I made a point of thanking Joanna and Manny, on holiday from Leeds as they settled their tripods close to where I was standing.

By 1am I was done here. I had another plan a bit closer to home. As I drove I considered the wisdom of the new location There is a tiny car park and it often strikes me as the sort of place where people go to conduct furtive activities that they don't want the wider world to see. Would I happen across a clandestine drug deal? Would it be something less dangerous but potentially more embarrassing for all concerned? I almost turned the car around as I pondered, but decided it would be fine. Which it wasn't. As I arrived, I immediately noticed the steamed up windows on the lone yellow Audi in the car park. At almost exactly the same moment I spotted a flicker of movement from within. On the plus side I found myself impressed with both the speed and the turning circle of my car in a tight space. Perhaps it's best if I don't name the location in order to protect the not so innocent.

Returning home, I discussed the evening's progress with a recently fledged young Tawny Owl that was waiting for me on a branch in the neighbour's pine tree before heading indoors for a 2am glass of Irish Whiskey. Which tasted all the better for being so long in waiting for it,

The following evening I returned to Wheal Coates for another communion with a comet. Keep watching this space for the next episode..........

Taken in: UK / England / St. Agnes / Towan Cross (show map)

Taken on: July 20, 2020

Tags:

Wheal Coates

Coates

comet

neowise

Night

night sky

midnight

Cornwall

astro

starry nights

stars

St Agnes

mine

Tin mine

evening

outdoor

spooky « less

Sets appears in: • Wheal Coates and Chapel Porth

Groups appears in: • Amateurs • Cornish Tin Mines more » • Cornwall Flickr Users • Flickr Social Club • Amateur Photographer Magazine • Flickr Social • (A) COUNTRY WALK SOUTH WEST COAST PATH. • LONG DISTANCE PATHS « less

Camera: Canon EOS 80D, f/3.2, 30 sec, 51mm, ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 80D
Lens:	EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Aperture:	f/3.2
Exposure Time:	30
Focal Length:	51mm
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
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