The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
The ‘Emu in the Sky’ (or Gawarrgay in the language of Kamiloroi people) is a famed way of describing the Milky Way. In the early part of the MW core season, the shape of the Emu is clear, like this image with some wonderful air glow taken near Nimmitabel, NSW.
Specific Feedback
This image demonstrates the Emu in the Sky better than any other image I’ve captured. I would appreciate all constructive feedback about the way the image is exposed and composed. Especially appreciate any advice on how to improve the interface between the ground and the sky.
Technical Details
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Very nice! I’m jealous of the view of the MW you have from the bottom of the earth!
My taste for MW shots is for lower contrast, which is more realistic and reduces saturation. Less contrast would help with the halo at the ground, although with no information about how you processed I don’t know what you could do to mitigate it. You got better stars than I would expect for 40 second exposure, but you might have a look at star reduction, just for comparison.
The wind turbines are an interesting FG element but they feel to me to be a problematic shape.
Light pollution from under the clouds that make the trees a good silhuette (perhaps light pollution from Merimbula?) and a good additional element.
I assume the 40 second exposure was using a star tracker because there are no star trails and the noise is nicely under control
The issues come when you join ground base objects to the sky. This is mostly under control except for the trees on the rhs and a small amount around the base of the nearer windmill. I have previously dealt with this type of problem by creating a copy of the photograph and masking everything other than the problem. Getting the mask correct will take time, but for this photo, I believe worth it. Play with colour and luminosity till the brighter areas merge with what is around. You may also be able to dim the trees too, reducing the complexity of the mask. There are also some stars in the lhs of the larger windmill pole (near the top) that could be removed.
I find the brightness of the lower half of the sky a bit high, maybe this can be dimmed a little.
This is a really interesting shot, and you have the luxury of getting to see a huge part of the Milky Way. My personal preference would be to denoise this photo quite a bit - it would help to draw the viewer’s eye to some of the brighter starts and create more interest in the darker parts of the sky.
I do not mind the colors and saturation, but I think it would work better if the image was just a little softer (via denoise and possible less sharpening etc.). Also, the angle of the wind turbine makes it a bit of a distractor. I would consider either composing the photo without it - or make it more of a silhouette item of interest (if possible) by showing more of it head on.
I’ll work with the colour and luminosity to see what I can do with the interface between land and sky! I see what you mean about he brightness in the lower half, and will play with that too!
