Critique Style Requested: In-depth
The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I love the composition of this photo and think it could be a all-time favorite if I can get it right. I am unsure about the blend of FG and Sky.
Creative direction
I’m looking to invoke a feeling of awe at the vast universe we live in as well as recognizing the importance of the sky in the lives of those who came before us.
Specific Feedback
Does the blend look natural? I love the composition, but it feels a little flat. I feel like it’s 90% of the way there, but something is missing. I made a few glowy stars since I want a bit of a dreamy feel to the photo. Does it evoke any feelings for you?
Technical Details
This is a blend of two photos. The FG is shot at f/9, iso 100, 20 secs at 16.5mm on my Nikon Z7II. The MW is stacked in Sequator. I then did some star reduction in Photoshop.
Description
This photograph was captured at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. The Ancestral Puebloans were dedicated observers of the sky, both during the day and at night. They tracked the passage of time through changes in the sky, which played a central role in their daily lives. They even had individuals specifically devoted to sky watching. In contrast, our modern world often disconnects us from the sky. It is my hope that this image serves as a reminder of the sky’s beauty and significance.
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It’s difficult to judge much from such a small image – most people post at more like 2000 pixels on the long side, or even more. At this size the sky looks like it fits with the landscape, which I assume is in moonlight. For me, the blues/cyans are a little strong, but that can certainly be artist’s choice. The brightest part of the galactic center might be a tad too bright, but again purely what you like. I like the palette of the blues/cyans with the soft pinks on the structures.
I like the composition. I think the more or less centered and vertical Milky Way evokes a fairly spiritual connotation that goes well with the foreground. It might even have been stronger to go with a more vertical composition. The blueish tones are hard to get rid of and keep it looking natural…I’ve assuming there was some moonlight. I love your thoughts on awe and remaining connected to the stars. Nice work
A point about moonlight, though – it is not tinted toward blue. The moon is gray and “its” light is reflected sunlight, with the same color temp as daylight. Artistically, a blue tint works, but it isn’t accurate or real. What we do see accurately in night shots is that if there is moonlight the sky will be blue instead of neutral gray/black – for the same reason it is blue in the daytime, with the same color temp of light illuminating it. But any land will be the same color as it is in daytime shots.
The way to deal with difficult colors in dimly illuminated nightscapes is to set the WB to Daylight then tweak from there. If exposure needs to be brought up a lot in raw conversion, that will usually lead to some color shifts.
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Thank you for the feedback Diane. The FG is actually a blue hour/nautical twilight image. The source of the light is the sun. I exaggerated it a bit. I definitely am not going for hard core realistic. I’m looking for more of a dreamy image.
I’ll upload a bigger resolution file. Thanks again for the comments everyone.
Now I see the larger version – a nice image, and artistic instead of realistic is quite valid for any sort of photography. The colors and toning are well done, with good-enough detail in the Milky Way. If it were mine, I would consider having the enhanced stars just slightly smaller, and a little more midtone contrast in the low part of the MW, but whatever suits your artistic vision is the deciding factor.
I look forward to more of your images, and comments on other images.
