This is the long exposure for the landscape
This is one of the unprocessed singles that make the sky and reflection.
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Reliable
The rhythms of Nature are comfortably reliable. We know that the Sun will rise and set every day. We may not be able to see the Sun, but its light will predictably illuminate the morning, and its absence will darken the night sky. We can accurately predict the rotation of the Earth, and consequently know when sunrise and sunset will occur for any date in the future. The same goes for the beacons of the night sky. For example, I know that the core of the Milky Way will be visible in the southeast every Spring and will shift around the to the southwest by October. Even before the sky is totally dark, I can recognize the brighter stars like Antares which appears as the orange star to the right of the Core of the Milky Way.
Nature is reliable in other ways too. Water is not just reliable but is powerful in physical and spiritual ways. Water can both soothe and excite a soul. I am drawn to the serenity of a perfectly calm body of water reflecting a billion stars. When the reservoir is this full, the depth in this area is quite shallow. This practically minimizes the swells you find in deep water and creates an incredible mirror like surface. It is so smooth, that standing next to the water and looking down almost creates a sense of vertigo, as if you’re standing on the edge of a canyon, looking down into the stars. It is really something to experience!
When the surroundings are this dark, the stars are inversely bright! Within a few minutes, your eyes can begin to make out details of the landscape by starlight alone. The silhouette of Hyalite Peak, Divide Peak, Maid of the Mist Mountain and Palace Butte were easily recognizable. You can gingerly walk around without the need for a headlamp. Even the trees begin to emerge from the darkness and show off some details. Speaking of reliable, how about the ability of these awe-inspiring peaks to create a sense of wonder that bridges just about every form of division we humans could create? During the day, these popular locations can be quite crowded with admirers and fun-seekers, but here in the dark, there was just me and a friend along with sleepy campers all huddled in their tents nearby.
The night sky is certainly food for the soul, and we dined well this night as we spent several hours staring at the sky. The entire night was reliably beautiful and just about as tasty an experience as one could dream up.
Specific Feedback
This is my first attempt at blending a long exposure for the landscape(taken right after the set of images for the stack) and an image created by stacking lights and darks. I worked to make the color temp and tones match between the two. I tend to prefer lighter landscapes in my Milky Way images so as to show off the details there. Is this too bright for you? There is an area off to the left where fish and frogs were creating rings that distorted the stars a bit…does this bother you?
Technical Details
Nikon D850
Sigma Art 14-14mm 2.8
Sky and reflection
ISO 8000, f/2.8, 15 seconds
10 light and 10 dark image stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker
Processed in Lightroom
Landscape
ISO 8000, f/2.8, 206 seconds
Noise reduction in Topaz Sharpen
Blended in Photoshop. I used the Ministars Action at level 5 to minimize the appearance of the stars. I used the warp tool to straighten the trees on the edges (finished in Lightroom under transform). I used the Pucker tool in the Liquify filter to minimize a hand full of stars that were bloated by a high, thin cloud.
Critique Template
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