This was my first star trail image. Selecting the composition was challenging in the dark and the actual capture was long and boring. The initial image was a composite of 266 exposures taken in a bit over 2 hours. I used StarStaX to create the image and after it was complete I noticed numerous aircraft light tracks going in every direction. Add a couple of satellite tracks and the image became more than busy. I tracked down the exposures that contained the “offending” aircraft and satellite tracks and deleted them with a final image consisting of 226 exposures. The faint reddish glow came from another photographer further under the arch setting up his/her capture. Glad it happened - it added some needed definition to the arch.
The 2 hour and 8 minute capture became pretty boring and I actually took a nap on the rocks - not comfortable but when you’re tired and bored you can do it.
Type of Critique Requested
- Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
- Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
- Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
The image was taken while on a workshop. Doing it over, I would have started out with a much shorter overall capture time with fewer images and then increased the number of exposures so I could actually get more than one image and get several different “looks”. Now I wonder what it would have looked like with 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 exposures. I could have probably sneaked in a couple of shorter naps.
Technical Details
Nikon D-810
Nikkor 14-24 f2.8
ISO 1600
24 mm
30 sec
Processed using StarStaX (free version) and LightRoom (increased Vibrance +8), Also used Topaz DeNoise AI (Standard setting).