McWay Mystery

Image Critiques Nightscape & Astro Critiques
1

McWayMystery.jpg
McWayMystery.jpg1000Ă—1500 1.38 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

This is the famous Mcway Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. It is one of the main attractions along the Big Sur coast. When I started down the path of nightscapes and astrophotography I have been planning for locations where I could include the Milky way. It has been a challenge trying to align clear skies with optimum orientation of the galaxy and constellations, and then try to figure out how to get the land to look natural while still retaining some detail, not to mention also trying to capture interesting water action, at least in this case. I decided to make this photo when the moon was in the sky when it was about 20% illuminated and was lucky that I found the one day when that was the case a few days ago. However I did find it much more difficult to expose for the Milky way at the same time of trying to retain the moon light not being completely blown out. I wanted the moon in photo to serve as the implied light source that illuminated the beach and cliffs, as other photos that I have seen of this location with the Milky way included all looked like land was clearly in daylight, or at least near sunset or very soon after sunset, it just did not look real, so I am hoping this has a shred of reality. I am thinking of trying this composition again but without the moon in the frame or in the sky, maybe in the winter of conditions align again, but with Orion and his band of celestial friends in the sky.

Specific Feedback

Is the photo as presented believable?

Does it look to doctored?

And more specifically, should the cliff on the left edge of the frame have that much light, given that I am trying to imply that the light hitting the cliffs and cove is coming from the moon.

Technical Details

Nikon D850, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

This is composite of three photographs.

  1. The base photo which was for the sky, moon, and moon glade f2.8, 15 sec, ISO 3200, taken about 90 minutes after sunset
  2. The landscape photo for the cliffs, beach, and wave action on the beach and cove water color f8, 15 sec, ISO 800, taken about 40 minutes after sunset - which accounts for the actual light falling on the cliffs and water - from twilight glow on the western horizon.
  3. The water action surrounding the rock in the middle of the cove and some of the water action along the rocks jutting out, f8, 5 sec, ISO 1600, taken about 45 minutes after sunset

The Milky way and the moon were nearly due south at the time they were photographed, which is where I find pause about the light on the very far left cliff.

I processed each photo separately in ACR with necessary adjustments that targeted the elements from each photo that I needed for the final image.

I finished the photo in PS with multiple adjustment layers with masks generated in the TK plugin, and also with painting in the elements needed.

Critique Template

Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.

Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:

1 Like
2

Youseff, all I can say is…WOW!

You certainly attained your goal here. The light on the cliff and waterfall look just right to me. I have not nits…this just works!
-P

3

This is beautiful!

I enjoy seeing the interplay of moon with Milky Way, even though it Impacts the intensity of the Milky Way band.
To respond to your question, this does not look artificial, over processed or “doctored”.

I have been amazed at seeing bright alpenglow on mountains with a setting moon; So this degree of light on the left side for me is realistic
I wonder about slightly reducing the light in the lower left cliff as it’s approaching the edge of the frame …ever so subtly.
Thank you for sharing this.

4

What a fantastic setting for the MW!! (A McWay Milky Way!) I love the arrangement of elements – the lighter bands of the MW, the moonlight reflection in the water and the breaking surf. I think the lighting looks completely natural and I love the action of the splashing waves. I wonder about just a subtly lower contrast in the darks. The distant low clouds / fog makes the horizon feel a bit tilted. Maybe erase those clouds? The stars are lovely and the sky color is natural and a nice complement to the warmer tones. The darker gradient at the top feels just right. Very well done!!

5

Jaw-dropping beautiful. And, perfectly believable. I can image the time and effort this image has taken to get it to this level. The light is gorgeous.

6

I’ll echo Youssef, that this is wonderful. That’s really brave to go for an image with both the moon and Milky Way; I can see how challenging that would be.

In the end it comes together very well. I love the white of the breaking water and the mirror like distant water. The green water color is a really nice mimic of the sky with the color balance you chose..

The waterfall gets a bit lost in the grandeur, but it’s a nice Easter egg when viewed full-size.

I always have mixed feelings about the streaks of light, but that’s a personal choice.

7

Beautifully planned and executed! You definitely achieved your goal of creating a natural looking nightscape. It is not over processed at all. It is amazing how much work it takes to create natural looking night images. I like how you managed to capture the blue green color of the water in the cove and how it balances with the sky glow. The colors are very harmonious with a nice blend of warm and cool tones setting the perfect mood for this magical location. Personally the only thing I might change is getting rid of the satellites in the sky. To me they are a minor distraction and my eye keeps pausing on the one directly above the moon.

8

@Preston_Birdwell , @Diane_Miller , @John_Williams, @glennie , @Paul_Dileanis , @Theresa_Clarke, thank you all for the feedback on this photograph and for honoring it with Editor’s Pick.

Coming from decades of photographing with film, and struggling with an older digital camera, the Nikon D2x, that did not have very good dynamic range or low light quality, and very noisy images taken with anything above ISO 200, using a modern camera like the D850 has opened some very interesting possibilities and learning how to utilize all of its capabilities has been exciting.

I never thought this photo was even possible until after making Sky Party earlier in the summer and seeing that I could have both the Milky Way and the moon in the sky at the same time, which at the time I thought while out there on the cliffs, that the images I was capturing were a waste of time and all would be deleted once I got home. Its “success”, if I can call it that, gave me the courage and impetus to try again at McWay Falls, and I am glad that I did.

However, I still see myself as a film photographer, and that the image is made with a single frame in camera and then polished in post, I struggle with myself when using multiple frames from the digital camera to make the final photo, as most of the work is now in post rather than in the moment and the tools of capture, and knowing how to use them to their full potential in the field, making the photo.

It almost feels like their is a sense of dishonesty in presenting the photo. I know I saw with my own eyes what I am presenting, and I captured the actual light that my eyes saw with the camera, when I first showed the image to my son, he said it was AI, and that it did not look real. I know digital photography is not “new”, now that it has been the mainstay for more than two decades, it’s full potential is new to me and I am learning how to navigate this new domain.

So again thank you all for your feedback, it is encouraging to know I have not stepped to far out from reality.

1 Like
9

This is a composition on the Falls that I have not seen before. Well seen! I think your lighting on the cliffs is appropriate, but you might need to darken the areas that face the camera on the little peninsula in the background to mimic the light angle. Have you tried an even longer exposure for the land? It’s tough when there are trees as close as some of these are, but a 2-3 minute exposure for the land really helps with sharpness and noise. Your exposure for the wave action is great, too much longer and you loose the details. Overall, it is a very realistic beleivable shot. Nice work!