The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
From the dark of the moon in July. I found a halfway easy location to be able to try some light painting, and also to set up my laptop and use Tethered Capture in LR to help with focus and composition . I posted a full panorama a few weeks ago – this is a “closeup” of the galactic center.
Specific Feedback
All comments welcome! I think I should add a tiny bit to the bottom. This is full frame as shot and I was greedy to get as much sky as I could, knowing I could add to the bottom.
Technical Details
A single frame, not cropped. Focus evaluated on the laptop at 100%. This lens is not easy to focus well – the center can look very sharp while the corners are still a little soft. In LR, WB cooled a bit, Highlights up and Whites down, Blacks down a little, Clarity up. Into PS for compositing the light painting, Topaz Denoise, Nik Detail Extractor, more Color Balance tweaking and a couple of masked curves.
Thanks, @Dave_Douglass and @Jens_Ober! Getting stars sharp is so important in Milky Way shots, and can be challenging. It’s easy to test a lens on a clear night, even with some moonlight. Aim north to minimize star movement if possible, and increase ISO as needed to get a fast enough SS that the stars aren’t showing streaks. If you can’t tether, at least you can carefully tweak focus and zoom in to get a good idea of where the focus point is best. Find it for the center of the frame then see if it varies at the edges or corners. That can save some trouble when you get a chance to shoot it for real.
One caveat, focus can generally change with temperature so best to match the season if possible.
