Pharos: The Milky Way & Beachy Head Lighthouse

This photograph represents one of the most challenging shoots I've ever undertaken. Beachy Head Lighthouse sits at the base of 162-metre chalk cliffs, accessible only via a steep, treacherous scramble down loose chalk and rocks—and that's just the beginning. The tide is everything here; get your timing wrong, and you're either unable to reach the lighthouse or, worse, trapped as the English Channel surrounds you. I'd been planning this shot for years, literally waiting for that perfect alignment of conditions: spring tide timing, clear skies, new moon darkness, and the Milky Way positioned just right.

When the forecast finally cooperated on this July night, I made the descent in darkness, every step calculated, constantly aware of the incoming tide schedule. The lighthouse—built in 1902 and still operational today—stands 43 metres tall with its distinctive red and white stripes, sending its beam across the English Channel every 20 seconds. Reaching the rocky shore at its base felt like arriving at another world—the towering Beachy Head cliffs rising behind me, the vastness of the sea before me, and above, the first stars beginning to pierce the twilight.

As full darkness arrived, the Milky Way revealed itself in spectacular fashion. The galactic core stretched across the sky above Beachy Head Lighthouse, creating this incredible juxtaposition of human engineering and cosmic grandeur. The tidal pools scattered across the rocks provided fleeting reflections—ephemeral mirrors to a scene that few people will ever witness firsthand from this vantage point. The cool blues of the night contrasted beautifully with the warm glow of the galactic core, while the lighthouse's bold structure remained a striking focal point.

I shot this as a blend: 15-second foreground exposures at ISO 400 to capture the lighthouse, rocks, and those precious tidal reflections before they disappeared, then an 8-frame tracked stack at 60 seconds per exposure to bring out the Milky Way's incredible detail. Every minute was precious—I had maybe 90 minutes before the tide would force me to scramble back up those cliffs in darkness.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that sense of adventure and perseverance—standing at the base of the iconic Beachy Head Lighthouse on the East Sussex coast, surrounded by the English Channel, beneath the infinite expanse of the Milky Way, in a location where time, tide, nature, and light converge in perfect harmony.