The community of Llanfihangel y Creuddyn is working in partnership with local stargazer Dafydd Wyn Morgan to enable people to learn how to do night photography using, as a base, the restored medieval church in the village near Aberystwyth.

Night photography is becoming popular as striking images are shared across social media and this year the northern lights have been visible in Wales on several occasions.

The church is a masterpiece of medieval craftsmanship, and its massive stone tower has been an important local landmark which has stood over the village for over seven centuries.

A project to repair the tower and to create new stairs to enable safe public access was completed last year.

The community has since secured “UK Shared Prosperity Fund” funding through Cynnal y Cardi to finish several elements of the project and to promote it as a heritage visitor attraction.

A new website is being developed and a local artist and photographer have created images and video footage to show how special the church is.

Dafydd Wyn Morgan has been supporting the community to promote Eglwys Llanfihangel y Creuddyn as a heritage visitor attraction and has helped to develop a variety of events to use the church in different ways and to bring it to the attention of different interest groups. A night photography workshop is a new activity being trialed and a novel way to use the church.

“The Cambrian Mountains is one of the best places to experience the night sky due to the clean air and low light pollution,” Dafydd confirms.

“I’m looking forward to sharing some useful tips and techniques with those who attend the night photography workshop,” says Dafydd.

“Capturing images at night is an utter thrill in itself and the results can be so rewarding.” added Dafydd

By day Dafydd promotes heritage tourism for the Cambrian Mountains Initiative CIC, but he also champions the Cambrian Mountains as an astounding dark skies area. Using this wonderful church as a venue for night photography enables Dafydd to combine his passions for both heritage and stargazing.

“When you bring these together something magical happens that inspires awe and wonder. Combining iconic buildings with the majesty of the night sky can create inspiring images, particularly when the building is in a dark setting with minimal light pollution.”

There are two other practical reasons to use the church for a night photography workshop. The first is that it is within sight of Y Ffarmers, the popular village gastro pub where the workshop will be based for both evenings. The other reason is weather.

“Although we can be certain about the location of constellations and the moon, we can’t predict how much cloud cover might interfere with views of the night sky. However, at night the interior of churches can be very atmospheric, especially when light filters through stained glass windows. If the weather is cloudy or wet, we can apply the techniques for night photography inside the church”.

The first Night Photography workshop will be held on the 4 and 5 October 2024. With only 6 places available. For further info and to book your place email [email protected].