Brad Matthews

Adventure photographer

Hailing from Nottinghamshire, England’s ‘Robin Hood County’, Brad shoots epic landscapes near home and futher afield. Find out more about his style on

Four more amazing astros

Orkney Northern Lights

Orkney, Scotland

Fujifilm XT-2 with 16mm f/1.4 lens;

5 sec at f/1.4, ISO 400

This was the most vivid display of the Northern Lights I’d seen. I was lucky to be able to capture it right outside my parent’s house. There was a lot of trial and error: the aurora was moving a lot, with dips and peaks in colour and brightness.

A Night under the Stars

Lake Pukaki, New Zealand Fujifilm XT-2 with 16mm f/1.4 lens;

10 sec at f/1.4, ISO 2,500; 24 images

I parked my campervan and stepping out I was met with the most incredible scene. This was my first attempt at a panoramic of the Milky Way. There are three rows with eight images in each.

Milky Way over the House

Pongakawa, New Zealand

Fujifilm XT-2 with 16mm f/1.4 lens;

15 sec at f/1.4, ISO 1,600; 22 images

I stayed in this house while kiwi picking, and was treated to the most amazing night skies. I tracked the Milky Way position using the PlanIt app to make this image work. There are two rows of 11 images.

Camping Pod

Strathyre, Scotland

Fujifilm XT-2 with 16mm f/1.4 lens;

10 sec at f/1.4, ISO 1,000; 12 images

I stayed in this camping pod over the New Year. The sky cleared on arrival, so I had to step out for some time to take some photos. The moon was close to full, meaning the stars weren’t as bright, but it lit up the scene beautifully. There are two rows.