Milky Way at Round Lake

Image Critiques Nightscape & Astro Critiques
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milky way.jpg
milky way.jpg1000×752 939 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

This was Saturday night at Round Lake, near Carson Pass. The moon helped illuminate the landscape, along with a bit of light painting on the two sections of the inlet that are brighter than the rest of the scene. The Milky Way was not vivid as it was still a bit early in the night and the moonlight was fairly strong. The thing is, I’m generally more interested in capturing an interesting landscape picture and not just a skyscape.

Specific Feedback

Any editing tips would be appreciated, or how I might have composed differently.

Technical Details

20 seconds, at f/1.8, iso 500. Single exposure.

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2

That’s a great scene! Love the reflection! I like the light on the back mountain. The light on the little islands is a bit bright for me. It’s tough to get that right in the field, but you could use a brush in Lightroom to reduce brightness and maybe cool the temp down a little bit. That Milky Way is great for the moon still being out!

1 Like
3

Yes, a very nice MW! And I like that the natural WB of moonlight on the land is preserved here. I agree with @Paul_Holdorf about the light painting. It is not only on the bright side but it is very flat, with the light source very close to the camera. Moving it off 30-40 degrees would give some definition to the lighted islands and trees, but it may be impractical. The reflection is a lovely touch.

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4

That’s exactly the problem - flat lighting. I did it myself while also taking the picture. I have had better success when using tripods for side lighting. But I am not going to bring two extra tripods when backpacking like on this shot! Thanks .

5

Or hope to find a rock to prop a light on, or tie it to a tree. (So easy to say from my desk chair…) Hope to see a future result!

6

My thoughts echo the above Brad. I too like an interesting landscape to go with the MW, and I think tweaking the light as suggested is a great idea.