Hello!
This is me, on Brighton Seafront with my Artists Open Houses - Photographer of the Year Award 2023 certificate!
I am a Brighton based photographer specialising in landscape astrophotography. Using long exposures I uncover the hidden objects and beauty of the night sky above Brighton's famous landmarks and the rolling hills of the South Downs - depicted in such works as the 'Milky Way above the Brighton Palace Pier', the 'Royal Pavilion and the Stars' and the first 'Brighton Aurora!'. These images also illustrate how the skies would appear to the naked eye if unaffected by the significant light pollution found in the heart of the city.
I am also a big fan of capturing huge Moon photos, explained in my blog here: Why does the Moon look so Huge in Photos (Brighton edition)?
Planning is a key part of my photography, with ideas that need to be revisited weeks to months later - when the sun is setting in the distance, the moon has risen in the desired location, or when the stars are in the correct alignment for the perfect scene. It's this patience for a photograph that provides the most satisfaction when it succeeds (though sometimes the great outdoors prefers to bring clouds!).
Late 2021 I released the first edition of the popular 'Brighton 2022 Astro Calendar' featuring local Brighton landmarks in conjunction with astronomical objects of the night sky and I am now proud to have finished the Brighton 2023 Astro Calendar.
In 2022 I exhibited at the Artists Open Houses for the first time at 'Art at 23' on the Fiveways trail and in 2023 won the Artists Open Houses Photographer of the Year Award 2023.
See below for some of the 'Awards and Recognitions' I have received in the past few years.
Please enjoy my photo galleries and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Michael Steven Harris
Awards and Recognitions
Winner
Honoured to be winner of the Jessops World Photography Day Competition with my photo of the Beachy Head Lighthouse at low tide, which I titled 'Adventure', inspired by the sense of adventure found in a Studio Ghibli film.
Beachy Head lighthouse is situated below the Seven Sisters Cliffs in the Seven Sisters Country Park.
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Adventure' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
Runner-Up
Ecstatic to announce that I am the Runner-Up in the 'South Downs Dark Skyscapes' category for the South Downs National Park Dark Skies Astrophotography competition (as seen in this article by The Telegraph)!
My photo 'Valley of Stars' was taken in the valley of the local well-known Brighton beauty spot called Devil's Dyke, which is 'steeped' in history. Including the legend that the devil, furious at the conversion of the people of the Weald to Christianity, decided to dig a dyke through the South Downs to allow the sea to flow in and drown their villages.
The Milky Way core can be seen towering above the meandering valley!
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Valley of Stars' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
Highly-Commended
In the international category I was also given the honour of being highly commended for my photo of the Milky Way arching across the sky, titled 'Confectionary Giant'. A play on our Galaxy, the Milky Way, being both a huge celestial object and chocolates by the Mars Corporation!
The image can be seen in this article by 'The Guardian'.
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Confectionary Giant' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
Shortlisted
The photo features the remaining foundations of the West Pier's boardwalk with huge waves and turbulence crashing against them during Storm Eunice in February '22. During the storm winds reached up to 90mph!
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Temple of Poseidon' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
Shortlisted
Shortlisted in Amateur Photographer's 'Black and White' category for their 2023 Awards competition - my photo 'In-Flight Entertainment' was also featured on their Instagram account to announce the shortlist.
The photo features a murmuration of starlings flying low across the sea behind a paddleboarder. This low-flying behaviour from the starlings is to avoid the falcons that hang around in the area.
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'In-Flight Entertainment' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
Highly-Commended
For the 2023 competition with the theme of 'Near and Far' I was highly-commended for my photo of the Partial Solar Eclipse on October 2022 above the Chattri.
The Chattri is a memorial to the Indian soldiers who died in the First World War, located just outside of Brighton.
When I planned this photo I was imagining the ‘near’ element as the Chattri and the ‘far’ as both the rolling hills of the South Downs extending to the horizon and the solar eclipse high in the sky.
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Solar Eclipse at the Chattri' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
Finalist
Selected as a finalist for my photo 'Jay in an Autumn Oak' taken in the beautiful Leechpool Woods close to Horsham.
The judges said: "Key species, beautifully framed and photographed. Jays are responsible for the dispersal of our most important tree species, the Oak."
My entry along with the other finalists can be seen on this voting page.
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Jay in an Autumn Oak' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
AP Picture of the Week
A double-page spread in the Amateur Photographer magazine May 2022 issue for my photo 'Royal Pavilion Under the Stars'.
Since taking this photo I have captured a higher quality photograph with many more stars above.
Please click on the photo of the 'Royal Pavilion Under the Stars' to see the gallery containing the updated photo and this original shot.
My photo of the interactive laser display over Brighton can be seen under "spectacular results" on the official page as well as the 'Laser Light City for Brighton Skyline' blog page. Lasers coming from Tower Point (North Road), Sussex Heights and Seven Dials.
Please click on the photo to see the gallery that includes the photo 'Laser Light City - Brighton' - where you can view it in a larger size on PC, or purchase a print/canvas.
