Hi - This is my first attempt at shooting the Milky Way. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun (except for staying up till 2AM). This is a blended photo and I used a Star Tracker to keep the stars in focus. The sky was shot at night, the landscape at sunrise. I realize this is not an award-winning photo, but would would love to hear your comments and critiques. That’s how we all get better.
Any feedback is most appreciated! Thanks.
Blended photo.
Thanks, will try! I also just noticed the mountain itself is a bit too bright. May tone it down.
Beautiful image Scott. Great job on the sky. I like Dan’s edit to tone down the greens. The mountain does look a little bright relative to the rest of image. Nice composition.
A very pleasing image and great first attempt at a Milky Way shot. I agree with you that you might want to darken the mountain. There appear to be star reflections in the water and it might be worth seeing if that could be enhanced.
Thanks for the feedback! Most appreciated.
Hi Allen,
Thanks for the feedback. Since the lower portion was shot at sunrise, I added in the stars to the water in post. I will try beefing them up a bit. Thanks for the suggestions!
Nicely done for a first effort. Interesting decision to blend a sunrise frame. A twilight frame seems to be the common choice, but that’s only one way to do it. I like the detail and colors in the core–enough but not overboard.
Great job on the Milky Way image Scott! I’m a novice myself when it comes to night photography - and even blending these types of images, so I don’t have much to offer here in terms of suggestions!
I do agree with Dan’s edits as the original was slanting a bit green.
Question I have is the white band across the mountain? You mentioned the landscape/mountain frame was from sunrise - is that band actual sunlight striking the mountain? Or just how the snow looked on the mountain? If it’s sun striking, that throws this off for me a little bit as sunlight and the Milky Way shouldn’t coexist… At least that’s my novice thinking.
I think the composition is wonderful and a great idea and plan to capture the Milky Way over Mt. Rainier. Makes me want to get out there more at night!
Thanks for sharing!
Lon
Lon - thanks for the comments. In working this image, I have toned down the greens a bit. Did not realize how much was in there until I saw Dan’s comments here. Yes, that white band is the morning sun. I am working at toning that down. Will repost soon. Thanks again for the suggestions!
Thanks Dean. Unfortunately nighttime clouds over this lake prevented me from taking an evening photo. I waited until 2AM to shoot the Milky Way. Appreciate the comments!
Hi Scott,
I too have started to dabble in astrophotography, so this is nice to see. I was going to comment on the strangely lit base of the mountain, but I see others beat me to it and you have corrected it nicely in the repost.
The first thing I noticed was the very bright band of light going across the top of the mountain. It’s already been mentioned and it looks like removed in your latest repost. The green tint in the original was a bit too much but the rework handled that as well. The star tracker did a commendable job at keeping the stars round. This is a really good first attempt. I think your repost more closely mimics reality than the original post which I found to be too bright. Maybe just a bit more detail in the foreground. Great framing as well.
Thanks Youssef! Really appreciate the comments. Not sure I am going to add astrophotography to my repertoire, but it was fun.
