The Milky Way

[Rick50]

I'm actually already an avid astrophotographer. It is a wonderful shot. I like the first image a tad better. It is just a personal preference. I don't like things too contrasty. I think Milky Way shots can get away with a little color to the sky, not necessarily pitch black like you would want it for planetary or deep sky shots. But that is just me, both photos look brilliant.

One thing though: I can't really tell, are there star trails or is that just shake from the wind? The exposure doesn't seem too long for the focal length you shot at, so I'm betting it is the wind that gave the tripod a little shake. That's a pain for these types of photos.

Cheers,
Gunnar

You have a good eye. It is shake from the wind. The wind swirled pretty good and I couldn't block it or stabilize with weight on the tripod (which I had). Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for the moon to get out of the way again. I actually like a little color too and will be trying some shots at the end of twilight when there is some blue in the sky. One thing I am finding is that this takes patience as conditions need to be right.

Thanks for your comments....
Rick

 

[jsecordphoto]

Lowering the black point that much makes the photo look really unnatural. The sky is never really that dark due to airglow anyway. The trick is to add selective curve adjustments to create contrast between the light and dark areas of the milky way, not the entire image.

 

[GCPhotography]

Lowering the black point that much makes the photo look really unnatural. The sky is never really that dark due to airglow anyway. The trick is to add selective curve adjustments to create contrast between the light and dark areas of the milky way, not the entire image.

Well said.

 

[GCPhotography]

I'm actually already an avid astrophotographer. It is a wonderful shot. I like the first image a tad better. It is just a personal preference. I don't like things too contrasty. I think Milky Way shots can get away with a little color to the sky, not necessarily pitch black like you would want it for planetary or deep sky shots. But that is just me, both photos look brilliant.

One thing though: I can't really tell, are there star trails or is that just shake from the wind? The exposure doesn't seem too long for the focal length you shot at, so I'm betting it is the wind that gave the tripod a little shake. That's a pain for these types of photos.

Cheers,
Gunnar

You have a good eye. It is shake from the wind. The wind swirled pretty good and I couldn't block it or stabilize with weight on the tripod (which I had). Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for the moon to get out of the way again. I actually like a little color too and will be trying some shots at the end of twilight when there is some blue in the sky. One thing I am finding is that this takes patience as conditions need to be right.

Thanks for your comments....
Rick

If you're not photographing it, the moon is a pain isn't it?

I think you'll agree that, while it requires patience, the satisfaction you get when the photo comes out just right is definitely worth the wait!

Cheers,
Gunnar