Couple shoot for the stars with new business launch after night sky venture success
Mold-based night sky education and astrophotography company Adventure Nightscapes is expanding and launching a new commercial venture thanks to funding from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.
Stargazing enthusiast Kat Lawman, and her fiancé Gareth Jones, have long shared a passion for exploring the breathtaking Dark Skies destinations of Wales. Adventure Nightscapes specialises in teaching photographers how to capture the beauty of the cosmos while Starlight Commerce, Kat’s new initiative, aims to support accommodation providers in dark sky areas with authentic, location-specific night sky imagery to help them market their properties authentically and responsibly.
A £9,000 Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank has enabled her to invest in additional equipment and in marketing this new avenue. This year marked a significant milestone for Adventure Nightscapes, where, alongside its regular Wales based workshops, it delivered its first overseas night sky workshop in Tenerife, with additional international workshops already planned for next year.
However, it was while researching Airbnb accommodation across the UK, that the couple discovered that many hospitality businesses were promoting their properties using generic night-sky imagery captured overseas, rather than showcasing the spectacular skies visible from their own locations
Recognising a missed opportunity to celebrate and authentically represent the UK’s remarkable stargazing landscapes, Kat and Gareth were inspired to champion the beauty of Wales’ world-class Dark Sky areas and help accommodation providers better reflect the true experience awaiting their guests.
Passionate night sky photographer Kat, who works in finance by day, ultimately has ambitions to run Adventure Nightscapes and Starlight Commerce full-time.
Speaking about the idea behind Starlight Commerce, Kat said: “We travel a lot, and one location I visited in Galloway Forest Park in Scotland featured a night sky image from Peru, and it really hammered home my opinion that we really should be promoting the UK’s Dark Skies.The night sky in the UK simply doesn’t look like it does in Peru. We have some of the most beautiful landscapes and dark skies right here on our doorstep – we need to show them off to best effect!
“Many campers and glampers like a stargazing element to their trips and I’ve always desperately wanted to run more workshops here on home turf in Wales.”
Kat and Gareth recognised the opportunity at hand and now lead their immersive Night Sky education workshops, which are designed to help photographers master the art of photographing the night sky in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring locations.
Looking ahead, Adventure Nightscapes plans to launch a new series of online courses, called ‘Cosmic Classroom’ to provide astrophotographers with in-depth knowledge and practical guidance, while making high-quality night sky education more accessible regardless of location.