Photographer Captures the Gorgeous Night Skies Above Jordan

Alucard ToV · November 11, 2022

Photographer Benjamin Barakat has spent the last four years working on his skills as a night sky photographer and now helps others create masterful scenes in beautiful locations.

Barakat says he has always been fascinated by the night sky and the idea of capturing it is how he got into photography to begin with.

“[In 2018] after spending many nights under the night sky with my wife and looking up and fascinating over it, I finally decided to get a camera and try capturing it,” he says. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but here I am attending to my calling! There’s nothing I love more (second to my family) than going out and photographing the night sky and sharing and teaching others to do what I do.”

By day, Barakat is a real estate photographer and researcher at the highest observatory in Europe, the Sphinx Observatory in Switzerland, where he researches light pollution. But by night, he points his camera at the sky and teaches others how to create stunning visuals of their own.

“I am lucky enough to teach others and lead tours internationally sharing the knowledge and inspiring others to get out more and take in the night sky,” he tells PetaPixel.

Barakat’s most recent project took him to Jordan where he captured some breathtaking photos of the landscape set against the Milky Way.

“Being half-Lebanese, my goal has been to explore the middle east more and share awareness of the beautiful landscapes to encourage others to visit these places,” he says.

“Petra is what first attracted me to Jordan, 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.”

The effort was worth it, as his photos of the iconic location are breathtaking.

“Wadi Rum is another stunning highlight Jordan has to offer, with some of the darkest skies and stunning landscape scenery. I spent just over a year planning with locals to geotag all of the spots in my collection of images before capturing them all.”

As mentioned, Barakat leads tours to help teach people how to take these kinds of photos. He plans to lead a group of 11 photographers on a journey through Jordan in 2023, the details of which can be found on his website.