The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I like how the arc came out, and the silhouette of the famous buttes. This was shot a short distance from The View Hotel parking lot, and what little illumination in the foreground there is was from lights in the parking area. Initially, I did not like the house lights on the horizon, but I donāt think they detract too much. With more time, I might have scouted for a different location or set up a blue hour shot.
Creative direction
With MW photography, in general, I prefer setting the WB to around 3500 K, which creates a very blue sky. This is a very intentional aesthetic preference. In this image, I was trying to combine the grandeur of a clear night sky with no light pollution (something we rarely get in March where I live) with an iconic foreground.
Specific Feedback
All feedback welcome
Technical Details
Nikon D850, Nikkor 14-24mm @20mm, f/2.8, 10 secs, ISO 6400. 5 exposures for each frame in the pano. Processed with DxO Prime Raw, Topaz Sharpen AI, and PS.
Description
Getting a panorama of the Milky Way was on my bucket list for this trip to the Southwest in early March 2022. In fact, I attended a Milky Way workshop in southern Utah on this trip before setting off on my own after the workshop ended. I spent one night at Monument Valley and got up early to do this shot and then went on a predawn tour with a local Navaho guide.
Hi Patrick,
what a fantastic location for a nightscape panorama. That must have been a great experience, spending a starry night in an iconic place like this. Iāve never been there, but it looks like a real playground for photographers.
You captured the Milky Way arch very nicely. But I would like to see a little more space on the right edge of the image so that the core has some room to breathe.
I have often been annoyed by this with my own Milky Way panoramas. Since then, I always take one more shot on both sides, even though I may not use it.
Iām not sure about the foreground. On one hand, the illuminated rocks create a good color contrast with the blue sky. But my eye is always drawn to the bright and detailed foreground. In my opinion, the image could benefit if you at least darken the rocks at the bottom of the image. Or you could crop them out.
Again, this is a fantastic Milky Way Panorama. Well done!
Thanks @Jens_Ober ! This location is challenging, as access is limited, especially at night. Itās not possible to drive into the park at night without a guide. Daytime self-guided driving is very limited. I got up early before meeting for a pre-dawn and dawn guided trip, and walked to the edge of the area around the The View Hotel. I purposely wanted to get a little illumination in the foreground, and not a complete silhouette. I agree with the spacing of the pano on the right, but I was limited by the lights from the hotel.
I canāt really give you a good in depth review because I donāt have any experience with MW photography or even nightscapes for that matter.
But I can say that I have viewed quite a few and that I really like your choice of using Monument Valley for the setting! It puts two iconic scenes together in one image, and your choice of shooting at 3500K puts this in a unique category for me. I really like it!
Itās original āandā unique, and thatās not an easy thing to do with anything iconic IMHO.
From a purely aesthetic perspective, I do feel that darkening the brightest FG rocks would help to shift my attention on into the scene where the Monuments are, the brightness almost serves as a block or barricade to a small degree.
Even when Iām concentrating on the MW beauty, those rocks are bright enough to actually pull my attention away from the MW.
Iām only voicing my personal interaction with this image and that doesnāt really mean much.
I do understand your desire to leave them prominent in the scene though.
Love full arch Milky Way Panos! My personal preference is a much warmer sky, which would complement the foreground tones, but like you said, this is your preference. Youāre the artist, you get to choose! I actually like the foreground lighting as itās similar to how our eyes might have seen it in person. More detail close up, then fading tones and details the deeper you get in to the image. I need to visit the desert sometime. My early season panos in Montana often involve sub-zero temps!
Wonderful and amazing!! Iāve never had a chance at a full MW pano and itās on my list. Iām always amazed at how normal a FG (or mid-ground, in this case) looks and then there is that huge arch in the sky! I donāt mind the blue sky look and the processing looks very pleasing.
I think you did very well with the FG, given the limitations of positioning there. I think darkening the details, especially on the rocks at the bottom edge, would pull my eye toward the more mysterious mid-ground and compete less with the wonderful sky.
Patrick, this is an excellent look at the Milky Way in an iconic location. Several things here pique my interest. Iām thinking that the big bright spot low in the sky is either a planet or a crescent moon, since I expect the full moon would wash out much of the Milky Way. The way the light angles across the foreground has me wondering if something was casting a shadow along the right hand bottom. When youāre in a ādark skyā location, itās amazing how much light is thrown by a single yard light nearby and as you see here how the much light shows up from far away.
