It’s A Marvellous Night…

Bray Head Moonrise by Anthony Lynch

e’s clearly a man with a lot of patience, and a whole darkroom full of talent…

And both were put to good use when Anthony Lynch captured a full moon travelling directly behind the cross on Bray Head’s peak.

It’s a shot that has now won the best picture in the Out Of This World: Planetary category of 2024’s Reach For The Stars astrophotography competition.

People’s Choice winner Cave Man

Run by the Dublin Institute For Advanced Studies, the competition casts its net nationwide, searching out the finest pictures of the night sky across Ireland.

And being the talented photographer that he is, the Out Of This World win wasn’t the only award Lynch walked away with this week.

Taken at Goat Island, Ardmore, his Cave Man shot received over 5,000 votes to make it the Public Choice no.1.

It’s a shot that involved a last-minute 200-metre dash down to the perfect spot on the beach to frame it just so.

“I had other photographs in this category,” says Lynch, “but I knew Cave Man was the one that had the best chance of winning…”

And he wasn’t wrong. Based in Stoneybatter, Lynch knows that this kind of photography is, first and foremost, about being in the right place at the right time.

Pic: Andrew Nolan 2019

Even if that means being in Bray. At night. Something Andrew Nolan recognised back in 2019 with his equally inspired shot.

You can check out the full galaxy of the Reach For The Stars winning photos here, and they will be part of an outdoor exhibition at the DIAS HQ from Friday 26th.

Which you can find just about here.

In the meantime, you can find out more about Anthony Lynch here, follow him on Instagram here or Facebook here, or get in touch by email here.