The bundle of pure energy and excitement that is Josh Drury hit our Zoom screen last night, with a two-part presentation that amazed us all with its sheer brilliance, writes Jenny Short, from Norton Radstock Photographic Society (NRPS)

Josh is a young landscape astrophotographer who, in a very short space of time, has become internationally acclaimed, winning a clutch of prestigious awards and now, much to his own surprise, is regularly being endorsed by NASA.

Josh enthusiastically shared the trials and tribulations of his journey from a seven-year-old fascinated by space he observed through a simple telescope, to the talented astrophotographer he has become, via a degree at UWE and a period of demotivation during the Covid lockdown.

Mindful that Lockdown had negative effects on his photography, Josh has bounced back big time, and while his photos from the far reaches of the Outer Hebrides and Dallas are stunning, he reminded us all of the opportunities that are relatively local to us - Corfe Castle and Norton Henge near Wimborne. It was his Sigma-inspired photo of 43 meteors over Stonehenge in Wiltshire, that caught the eye of Tim Peake, and was widely shared on social media by none other than Buzz Aldrin.

Josh is a great ambassador for the lenses and filters he uses, but he is also on a mission to spread the word about the dangers of light pollution in our skies. The second half of his presentation documented his journey to Easter Island in October, to witness the once in a lifetime solar eclipse, in a land where there is no light pollution to spoil the spectacle.

It was truly a club night to remember, and one which I know has inspired many of us, now acutely aware that there is a “planetary parade” due in the skies over Somerset on February 28 just waiting for our cameras.