ST MICHAEL’S MOUNT BEACON
I always strive to find unique details in my photography and St Michael’s Mount Beacon is special for two reasons. The first reason is that it is unusual to be able to capture the beacon of light emitted from the island together with the intricate detail of the stars in the night sky. Astrophotography requires very limited amounts of light pollution in order to accurately pick out the milky way, and so the synthetic lights on the castle would usually cause too much disruption.
I had been photographing the galaxy from various locations across Cornwall on this evening, and I arrived at St Michael’s Mount in the very early hours of the morning when the sky was at its darkest. Even so, you can see the difference in the sky from the distant lights of Penzance compared to the lleft-hand side of the island, so I had to limit my expectations of being able to photograph the stars and instead focus on the castle.
The second reason why St Michael’s Mount Beacon is unique is that it is the only shot of the beacon that I have ever captured, making it a very special addition to my limited edition portfolio. I took the single photograph, packed up and headed home for the night.
A few hours later in the bright morning light, I was able to examine the image more closely and was pleased to find just how much of the starry sky I had been able to capture. Not only this, but the beacon of light emitted from the castle had left an ethereal trail up into the sky and across the water. This hazy golden light effect prints fantastically on my metallic gloss paper, which also picks out the individual stars with pin-point accuracy.
Additional Images
Certificate of Authenticity
St Michael’s Mount Beacon is a fine art landscape photograph with a limited run of 100 prints.
A Certificate of Authenticity will be supplied with every print after it has passed the Tide & Land quality check, numbered and signed.
Tide & Land photography prints are not massed produced, but are hand made to order, guaranteeing the best quality with every print.
Further Information
+ PRINTING
Each of my images is printed using an Epson SureColor SC-P800 Printer. This printer is designed to produce high quality professional prints using UltraChrome HD ink that gives a true-to-life finish. Shadows are notably crisp against the vibrancy of the colour palettes across all size ranges of my photography.
+ PAPER
I print my images on Innova Resin Coated Photo Metallic Gloss paper which works extremely well on the Epson SureColor SC-P800 Printer. This 260gsm photo paper has a natural white base tone that contains metallic pigments in its microporous coating. Not only does it provide a high gloss finish, the pigments offer an extra dimension of subtle colour shifts under changing light conditions, and is suitable for colour and greyscale prints.
+ MOUNTBOARDS
I use white mountboards with my photographs. Bainbridge Alphamat Artcare Mounts provide art work with high quality protection from air and acid pollutants, as well as being 100% fade resistant and bleed proof.
+ FRAMING
I offer a range of glass-fronted frames in wood (Birch), and aluminium (Frosted Silver or Jet Black Polished). I have chosen these frames for their strength and quality, and because they perfectly complement the mountboards and balance my images.
+ OTHER MATERIALS
Besides these key components it is also worth noting that I use archival back boards to provide your print with further added protection, and when purchasing framed photography the mounts are secured using acid-free tape.
+ DELIVERY
Framed prints are made to order and will try and dispatch within 7 working days however this can be shorter or longer depending on workload. Ink need the time to properly set to the paper before being handled and this can take a few days.
All framed prints ship in a bespoke and secure packaging system via insured courier. I try to recycle cardboard ink within my packaging materials where I can to add to security to the shipment.