The night sky is an endless wonder and has long inspired photographers to capture its swirling beauty. For the past four years, Basel-based photographer Benjamin Barakat has been snapping gorgeous pictures of the night sky among stunning backdrops. Vibrant purples and electric oranges bring the Earth’s otherwise sleepy landscape to life. And now, he’s sharing his passion for this subject with others by showing them how to shoot their own astrophotography.
Travel is an important component of Barakat’s images. “Being half-Lebanese,” he tells My Modern Met, “my goal has been to explore the Middle East more and share awareness of the beautiful landscapes to encourage others to visit these places.” The country of Jordan is of particular interest to him, and he’s traveled to sites like Petra and Wadi Run.
“Petra is what first attracted me to Jordan,” he shares, “and it was a wish of mine to capture it under the night sky. Getting in during closing hours to one of the Seven Wonders of the World isn’t easy, so I had to build a relationship with the local Bedouin people to gain such access.”
Wadi Rum has dark skies that make it perfect for landscape photography. “I spent just over a year planning with locals to geotag all of the spots in my collection of images before capturing them all,” the photographer explains.
If you’d like to learn how to become an astrophotographer, Barakat will show you how. He has tours and workshops scheduled for 2023 that will take you to Egpyt, Bolivia, and more.
The night sky is an endless wonder and has long inspired photographers to capture its swirling beauty.
For the past four years, Basel-based photographer Benjamin Barakat has been snapping gorgeous pictures of the night sky among stunning backdrops.
Travel is an important component of Barakat’s images.
“Being half-Lebanese,” he tells My Modern Met, “my goal has been to explore the Middle East more and share awareness of the beautiful landscapes to encourage others to visit these places.”
The country of Jordan is of particular interest to him, and he’s traveled to sites like Petra and Wadi Run.
