Meet Kat: the photographer turning dark skies into global adventures

• Business name: Adventure Nightscapes

• Industry: Photography & experiential travel

• Founded in: 2023

• Top business products: Business loan

• Key learning: “Do your research, be prepared, and always have a backup plan.”

Capturing the night sky in photographs depends heavily on preparation. Timing, location, altitude and light pollution all play a decisive role in what can be seen, and what can be captured.

For photographer Kat Jones, that combination of planning and patience is something she has spent years mastering, and now shares through Adventure Nightscapes, a venture she devised with her husband Gareth. Through guided trips to carefully selected destinations, Kat helps photographers understand how to find and work with the conditions needed to capture the night sky at its best.

Rather than focusing solely on camera technique, the workshops combine photography with planning, travel and field skills, helping participants understand how to find, access and shoot in low-light environments.

We spoke to Kat to better understand how she and Gareth built Adventure Nightscapes from the ground up, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

How did your early experiences with photography and your move to Snowdonia shape your passion for the night sky?

I grew up in Northamptonshire, without a mountain in sight. Everything changed after a trip to North Wales, where climbing Snowdon sparked a deep connection with the landscape. I went on to spend the next four years training as a mountain leader, often camping high in the mountains and experiencing the night sky in its purest form.

I’d been fascinated by space and rockets as a child, but it was those nights outdoors that truly brought that interest to life. I learned photography back in college, developing black and white film, but it wasn’t until I moved to Snowdonia that I picked up a digital camera with the intention of capturing the night sky. From that point on, the two passions naturally merged.

What inspired you to turn your passion into Adventure Nightscapes?

I began entering my images into local and national competitions, and to my surprise, I started winning! Looking back, I think what set my work apart was the level of commitment. I was going to fairly extreme lengths to capture these images, although at the time it felt like a completely normal thing to be doing.

I spent countless hours refining my technique, often shooting from the mountains in challenging conditions, learning through trial and error. As my passion for travel grew, I started seeking out some of the darkest skies around the world, which helped elevate both my skills and my portfolio.

Over time, it stopped being a hobby and became a way of life. I felt a strong desire to share these experiences with others: not just the beauty of the night sky, but also the knowledge and skills needed to capture it. That’s really where Adventure Nightscapes began.

Adventure Nightscapes now runs international workshops in locations like Tenerife. How do you choose your destinations, and what unique experiences do these trips offer participants?

Our destinations are carefully chosen based on light pollution levels and altitude. Darker skies away from towns and cities naturally offer better visibility, and higher elevations often place us above cloud cover, revealing even more detail in the night sky.

We also consider the position of the Milky Way. In the UK, due to our northerly latitude, the Milky Way core sits low on the horizon. However, as you travel further south, it becomes more prominent and rises higher in the sky, allowing for far more striking compositions.

While the UK does have designated dark sky areas such as Snowdonia, international locations like Tenerife offer consistently clearer, darker skies and more dramatic photographic opportunities. Our workshops combine these conditions with expert guidance, helping participants capture images they simply wouldn’t be able to achieve elsewhere.

Running adventure-based workshops in remote locations must come with plenty of unique challenges. What have been the biggest hurdles, and how have you overcome them?

Preparation is everything. I guess the obvious one is that it’s dark! Keeping yourself safe in low visibility is a challenge, but things can be done to lower the risks. I always scout locations in daylight beforehand and carry out thorough risk assessments, particularly for our chosen workshop environments. Safety and familiarity with the terrain are essential. You don't want to be falling over rocks or end up in dangerous terrain.

So far, we’ve run workshops in Tenerife, with plans to expand to La Palma. We chose these locations not only for their exceptional skies, but also because we know them well. They’re accessible, culturally familiar, and safe for clients with the right advice.

Personally, I’ve faced a wide range of challenges during solo expeditions. Language barriers in remote parts of South America, encounters with wildlife in Sweden, navigating the Salar de Uyuni in a pick-up truck at night, and even losing equipment in the dark. My mountain leader training, particularly in night navigation, has been invaluable, though ideally not something I'd like to rely on during a workshop.

All these experiences have shaped how I teach. I’m able to pass on practical advice, helping clients avoid common mistakes and feel confident in challenging environments. The key lessons are simple: do your research, be prepared, and always have a backup plan.

What’s been a particularly memorable moment of success for Adventure Nightscapes?

Being selected as a winner in the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2023, run by Capture the Atlas, was a real highlight. It was completely unexpected, and it led to my work being shared globally by major publications including The Guardian, National Geographic, Forbes, and Time Out.

Alongside that, successfully launching and selling out our first Tenerife workshop, and then repeating that success the following year, is something I’m incredibly proud of. It showed there’s a genuine demand for what we offer.

What financial products or services have supported Adventure Nightscapes’ growth and operations?

A key milestone was receiving a loan from the British Business Bank, which allowed me to invest in essential equipment to grow the business. Having access to that kind of financial support made a significant difference in what I was able to offer.

For other entrepreneurs looking to turn a passion into a business, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned over the last few years?

Patience is the biggest lesson. I’m still not running the business full-time, and I’ve learned the importance of not rushing that transition. At one point, I tried to move too quickly and it became overwhelming. Now, I take a much more measured approach, building things gradually, without unnecessary pressure. It’s about long-term sustainability rather than short-term gains.

You recently launched Starlight Commerce to support local businesses with night sky imagery. What inspired you to create this project, and how does it fit into Adventure Nightscapes’ broader vision?

The idea came from noticing misleading imagery being used in marketing, particularly images of the Milky Way that weren’t taken in the locations being advertised. One example was an Airbnb in Galloway National Park using a photo from Peru, which gives a completely unrealistic impression of what visitors will see.

Galloway is actually a designated International Dark Sky Park and was the first of its kind in the UK. It deserves to be represented authentically.

Starlight Commerce was created to help businesses showcase their locations honestly, using accurate and locally captured night sky imagery. It’s about maintaining integrity while also elevating their visual appeal.

More broadly, it allows me to focus more on photographing the night sky closer to home, in places like Snowdonia and Scotland, while supporting local tourism and businesses in the process. It fits naturally alongside Adventure Nightscapes by expanding the ways I can share and promote the beauty of the night sky.