Dingli Chapel – Recapturing my first Milky Way Astro Landscape

The St. Magdalene chapel at Dingli Cliffs was my first Milky Way photograph
of my astro landscape series 'StarScapes of Malta' which I started back in 2013.
Being a very accessible spot for stargazing, this place was first on my list.

A lot has happened since then. My editing skills improved and got better equipment.
The chapel was also restored, as it was hit by a Lightning during a storm in December 2014,
causing extensive damage to the facade.

Back then I was mainly shooting with a 14mm. This gives a wider field of view, but you loose the detail. This time I was after a more dramatic composition, a close up, focusing more on the 
Galactic Center which transits behind the chapel during the Summer months.

The newly installed uplighters also added interest to the facade, bringing out the texture of the weathered stone. But how is it possible to shoot at high sensitivity with them in the way…
Simple, the trick here is to take x2 exposures, one for the artificial light and another one for the sky with the uplighters covered.

Hope you like my second take on this iconic chapel and make sure to follow my latest work on Facebook, or Instagram

If you would love to have this on your wall, high quality signed art prints are available:
https://gvancell.com/products/st-magdalene-chapel-dingli

Check out my other photo of the chapel at twilight with an alignment of the Moon, Mars and Venus earlier this year:
https://gvancell.com/products/moon-mars-venus-over-st-magdalene-chapel