The difference between a supremely average photo and a great photo is planning – especially when it comes to night sky photography.

I had this exact image in mind, and I knew what I needed to capture before I arrived. Golden and blue hour foreground shots, artificially lit foreground shots, and a crystal clear night at a particular time when the milky way would be positioned just over the northern shoulder of the Nut in Stanley.

Initially, the skies were clear, however as darkness set in, the clouds got up to a little mischief and left me waiting and hoping for a nice clear break. And at the exact right time, the clouds parted and gave me the short opportunity I needed.

The nght sky was captured at 3200ISO, f/1.4, 10 second exposure on my 35mm prime. The foreground shots were shot at 22ISO, f/17.