Sky Party

Image Critiques Nightscape & Astro Critiques
1

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Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

I had another clear night on the coast so I decided to go back and try the Shark Fin Cove one more time. I don’t want to bore you all with this location, but I do not think I have exhausted the possibilities yet, as I have yet to venture down to the beach itself.

In this rendition, I have the moon, 1 day before 1st quarter in the sky and I was interested to see if I could effectively include it in the sky with the Milkyway. It looks like it was taken during the day, but that is the moon and the moon glade on the water.

I was there well into the night, as I waited for the moon to set, so I might bore you with one more after the moon was not in the sky.

Specific Feedback

Does this composition and rendition work?

I had more natural light in the sky so the colors, at least to my eye look like what I saw, are the color s working for you?

The moon itself of course is blown out, but I tried my best to hold back its luminance as well as that of the moon glade on the water, does it look “natural”?

How do you feel about the “star burst” coming off the moon?

Technical Details

Nikon D850, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8. Single exposure at f4, 15 seconds, ISO3200, taken at 8:40 pm at the end of nautical twilight and entering into astronomical twilight.

The light on the horizon was dim, but the 15 sec exposure brought it back out.

The Milkyway was faint but there, and I used some creative masking in ACR to help it out and make it more visible. I also used the Denoise feature in ACR which seemed to work well. Finished the whole image in PS.

1 Like
McWay Mystery
2

I am intrigued by your methodology in getting this shot. It looks like everything worked especially the sky and the lighting along the horizon. The little peninsula that projects into the brighter area of the water does draw my eye. I like the Milkyway which adds a lot of interest to the sky on the LH side of the photo. Well done…..Jim

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Apologies for being late here! (I got way too busy.) This definitely works, and is unusual and very interesting! I’m amazed you captured so much of the MW with that much moonlight – wonderful clear skies! The sky is wonderful with just the right amount of stars. I don’t think the moon or its reflected light are too bright, but we’re used to that sort of thing with sunlight. I do think toning down that light could be a good experiment – if you can do so without them getting gray or making everything else too dark. The colors look fine – the land is well-defined and has subtle color, and the sky would be that blue with that much moonlight. The gray tones of the sea look just right.

I’d love to see what you got after the moon set! Is there a perch on the way to the beach that gives a view with the tops of the land above the horizon? And the beach itself could be a wonderful view!

4

Thanks for sharing, Youssef! I always wondered how much the camera (and software) could pull out of a 50% moon, particularly if in the same frame. Never tried it, so thank you for this.

5

Interesting to compare this to McWay Mystery Youessef. This one is wonderful too, and again very brave to capture the Milky Way with the moon together. That said, I prefer the foreground in your more recent post.