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 feel that the composition is good. It was a challenge to capture much detail in the milky way because the aurora was so bright and there were clouds moving through. I know that the editing of the milky way can be improved.
Creative direction
I want to convey how special and unique it was to see the Aurora and the milky way simultaneously over Monument Valley. I want people to really enjoy the image and feel how special it was.
Specific Feedback
I would like to know how I could make this image more impactful.
How can I bring out the milky way more to make it pop against the colors of the Aurora?
Is there anything I should do to the foreground to make it blend in better?
Technical Details
Sony a7rV
14mm Sony Gmaster lens
f/1.8
ISO: 1250
I used a 15 second long exposure
I processed using lightroom classic. I lightened the foreground and put more texture and clarity in the sky.
Description
I was participating in an astrophotography workshop at Monument Valley on May 10, 2024. That was the epic Aurora evening. I got to experience a once in a lifetime experience of seeing the Aurora so far south and over Monument Valley. We spent hours at the location in Monument Valley watching the colors dance in the sky. Because it was so bright with the Aurora, the milky way was difficult to see. We only had a short window of time in which we were able to see both in the sky simultaneously.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This is a truly special moment, bringing together Monument Valley, the Milky Way, and the aurora—a rare and spectacular combination. The contrast between the warm reds of the aurora and the cool blues and greens of the Milky Way makes for a compelling nightscape with a lot of potential.
First thing that popped out at me was that I think maybe the horizon is over-sharpened or the blend didn’t quite work right - take a look at the halos around the edges of the buttes:
Unique and Rare Subject – Seeing the aurora and the Milky Way together is incredibly rare, and this scene captures that moment beautifully.
Strong Composition – The classic buttes serve as grounding elements against the dramatic sky.
Good Balance of Color – The aurora’s warm reds and the Milky Way’s cool tones create a natural contrast, making the sky feel dynamic and alive.
Areas for Improvement
Foreground Strip Pulls the Eye
The bright strip of land at the bottom competes with the darker foreground and pulls attention away from the sky.
A slight crop or darkening that blends it more seamlessly into the rest of the foreground would help keep the focus on the celestial elements.
Aperture Considerations with This Lens
Shooting at f/1.8 introduces coma and softness in the corners, which can degrade the quality of the stars.
Stopping down to f/2 or f/2.2 can help reduce optical issues while still allowing for plenty of light capture.
Aurora Movement vs. Star Movement
A 15-second exposure captures the aurora’s motion, which can make it appear blurred. Since the stars are not moving at the same rate (relative to Earth’s rotation), this can create a slight mismatch in motion rendering.
A shorter exposure—around 5 to 10 seconds—could help freeze the aurora’s movement better while maintaining star clarity.
Using longer foreground exposures blended separately with noise reduction stacking could improve overall detail and clarity.
This is a stunning and rare scene, and small refinements in exposure strategy and aperture choice could make it even stronger. Adjusting the foreground brightness and dialing in the exposure balance between sky and aurora would help bring out the full potential of this image.
Lastly, when you have so many powerful things in the frame at the same time, it becomes harder to give the viewer of a sense for what you want them to really look at… which is ironic in some ways!
Hi Stacy and welcome to NPN ! This is a fantastic image and I hope we will see many more. Matt has covered the main points very well. I’m on the road for a couple of days with only an iPad so I’ll wait till I’m home to comment. And @Matt_Payne, you might be interested in my fix for star issues with camera lenses. I’ll ping you on that reply.
This is a truly special moment, bringing together Monument Valley, the Milky Way, and the aurora—a rare and spectacular combination. The contrast between the warm reds of the aurora and the cool blues and greens of the Milky Way makes for a compelling nightscape with a lot of potential.
First thing that popped out at me was that I think maybe the horizon is over-sharpened or the blend didn’t quite work right - take a look at the halos around the edges of the buttes:
What Works Well- Unique and Rare Subject – Seeing the aurora and the Milky Way together is incredibly rare, and this scene captures that moment beautifully.
Strong Composition – The classic buttes serve as grounding elements against the dramatic sky.
Good Balance of Color – The aurora’s warm reds and the Milky Way’s cool tones create a natural contrast, making the sky feel dynamic and alive.
Areas for Improvement1. Foreground Strip Pulls the Eye
The bright strip of land at the bottom competes with the darker foreground and pulls attention away from the sky.
A slight crop or darkening that blends it more seamlessly into the rest of the foreground would help keep the focus on the celestial elements.
Aperture Considerations with This Lens
Shooting at f/1.8 introduces coma and softness in the corners, which can degrade the quality of the stars.
Stopping down to f/2 or f/2.2 can help reduce optical issues while still allowing for plenty of light capture.
Aurora Movement vs. Star Movement
A 15-second exposure captures the aurora’s motion, which can make it appear blurred. Since the stars are not moving at the same rate (relative to Earth’s rotation), this can create a slight mismatch in motion rendering.
A shorter exposure—around 5 to 10 seconds—could help freeze the aurora’s movement better while maintaining star clarity.
Using longer foreground exposures blended separately with noise reduction stacking could improve overall detail and clarity.
This is a stunning and rare scene, and small refinements in exposure strategy and aperture choice could make it even stronger. Adjusting the foreground brightness and dialing in the exposure balance between sky and aurora would help bring out the full potential of this image.
Lastly, when you have so many powerful things in the frame at the same time, it becomes harder to give the viewer of a sense for what you want them to really look at… which is ironic in some ways!
Back home now and viewing it on the big monitor. I have to say again what an amazing and unique experience! At 14mm you got away with the 15 sec exposure, from what I can see at this size. I use 10 sec and am usually forced to ISO 3200.
I’ve never made it to the actual northern lights, but I understand they dance like crazy. The small piece I saw of this aurora, there wasn’t much movement that I could detect, or else it was just too dim. What was it like for you in this amazing place?
I think the main issue is the fine halo at the horizon, which can be fixed with slightly different processing in LR. The light area at the bottom could be darkened with a selection or just a gradient.
The brighter area at the left pulls my eye out of the frame a bit but maybe not much can be done about it – it looks like you may have toned it down a bit already.
I think the clouds at the top are a lovely bonus and handled just right!
@Matt_Payne, my fix for bad stars from regular lenses involves first shooting around 10-15 exposures in rapid sequence and processing in Starry Landscape Stacker (Mac) or Sequator (Win). That gives the best NR possible – much better than any of the NR programs, excellent as they are for daylight shots. Then the funky stars are fixed by processing the same raw files with several simple steps in PixInsight, using the BlurXTerminator process. Then the stars are extracted and can be placed in a PS layer over the SLS or Sequator image, and the stars removed from it. Or the entire sky from PixInsight can be layered in.
And this was only about 7 frames, shot just before I discovered this gem. There is another set where focus was off a little as well, and the result was just as good. I fell off my chair after trying it the first time, just to see what it would do, based on what it does for actual astro images, which only need a slight tweak.
And this was only about 7 frames, shot just before I discovered this gem. There is another set where focus was off a little as well, and the result was just as good. I fell off my chair after trying it the first time, just to see what it would do, based on what it does for actual astro images, which only need a slight tweak.
PixInsight – the program that runs the BlurXTerminator process.
Something odd is going on with your signature – it is taking up so much real estate that it’s hard to find the conversations. Or is it a glitch everywhere – I’ll have a look.
Better also (for streamlined reading) to just use the yellow Reply button at the very bottom.
Yes, it’s the gorilla on the room . There are several others that have similar but not as extensive capabilities, but none run BlurXTerminator – it only runs in PI. I guess it’s possible competitors may evolve eventually.
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