Joshua Chastain is a local photographer whose Instagram account never ceases a jaw drop. He shares his simply gorgeous beach photos, along with more from his travels to the mountains and other places. He’s particularly fond of long exposure shots that capture the Milky Way and, oh boy, are they spectacular! Chastain’s favorite live subject is his Labrador Retriever named Miles, who you see in many of his photographs. Miles even has his own Instagram account, @pawprints.for.miles.

“Whether it’s night or day, this place never stops being beautiful,” Chastain said.

“The moon isn’t normally something I’d want in a shot of the Milky Way but sometimes it can work and add a little,” he said.

A beautiful early morning capture near Stallworth Lake and Topsail beach access on 30A:

A post shared by Joshua Chastain (@joshua.chastain) on Mar 30, 2018 at 6:43pm PDT

Thunderstorm in Santa Rosa Beach:

A post shared by Joshua Chastain (@joshua.chastain) on May 19, 2018 at 6:21am PDT

One of the lookout points at Watersound Beach:

A post shared by Joshua Chastain (@joshua.chastain) on Feb 18, 2018 at 6:01pm PST

“A Milky Way shot during twilight with this awesome pup…. I used a flash to freeze him (Miles) in the image but even with a flash, if he moves too much ghosting will occur under these light conditions. I think he did pretty awesome and it’s so much fun taking him out shooting with me.”

A post shared by Joshua Chastain (@joshua.chastain) on May 26, 2018 at 9:16am PDT

Grayton Beach under the stars:

A post shared by Joshua Chastain (@joshua.chastain) on Apr 23, 2018 at 6:47pm PDT

If you ❤ the beach, be sure to follow 30A on Facebook and @hey30a on Instagram where we share truly amazing beach stories, photos and videos every day!