Twinkle Tufas

The blue mood works well Peter. Only suggestion I have for your next visit would be to try a slightly higher camera angle so the shadow of the two tufas on the right do not touch the foreground rock. That's being pretty nit picky though and it really doesn't impact the overall twilight mood which I really like.

Peter, I'm really enjoying this picture. The cool blue color in combination with the stars and eerie looking shapes looks fantastic! The scene looks like it could be on another planet. Very cool and moody!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

That's a pretty neat rendition! Perhaps a tad too photo-artsy for my taste, but i acknowledge the skills and vision. The sky looks a bit "pasted in", which is in fact what you did, and i cannot put my finger on where the mismatch is, perhaps the sky is too bright, so the stars appear unatural. But having said that, i like the atmosphere and feeling, so i guess you are on the right track with this one anyway.

It works for me, Peter. I certainly like the overall composition and the colors are quite nice. The stars are also a fine addition to the scene.

On the other hand, the wide angle distortion is fairly noticeable to me and a bit distracting...I don't always mind it, but here the shadows of the tufas give it away and the tufas themselves seem to be leaning toward the edges of the frame. Also, I agree with Eva on the shadow touching the rock, but I like the camera angle you chose overall. Isolating the tufas against the sky is important to the success of the shot.

If you intend to do more night shots like this, you may want to try renting the 24mm 1.4L. I've used it a couple of times and I know some folks think it's the best lens Canon offers for night shots of the milky way, etc. It's pretty darn sharp from f/2.8 through f/16, and getting a one-stop (or greater) advantage for nighttime shots over your 17-40 might be well worth it. Plus sharper corners aren't bad either.

Beautiful image and composition Peter. I really enjoy the mood here. I think the only nit I have is maybe what Dietrich is thinking and that the stars are as bright where there are clouds present, would they not be lighter. This seems to make a disconnect for me. Beautiful image otherwise.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree there is probably a disconnect here as the two images were taken many hours apart. The biggest thing may be the brightness of the Tufa's, which after looking I feel should be a bit darker. Also I agree that the stars behind the clouds should not be as bright.

Phil, I'm planning on getting a new lens soon for my night photography, and right now it seems that it is between the Rokinon 14mm 2.8 and Tokina 11-16 2.8. We shall see what I end up with. Don't want to spend too much especially considering I hear lots of great things about both lenses.

I like it, Peter! The blue cast makes it feel appropriately night to me. The comp works for me (even with the big fg rock ) I think you did pretty well with the blend--theres some minor uneven brightness on the tufa which youve already mentioned. A minor tweak or two and this is a winner in my book!

Gee, if Stan likes it it MUST BE GOOD :)

Thanks Stan. I'm gonna try to reprocess it and work the few kinks out. Hopefully it will look nice for print.

(P.S. it should not account for your pet peeve of large rocks in the foreground since this technically isn't a rock, but I'll just accept the fact you like it lol)

I really like the gradient of light in the sky and the silhouettes of the tufa. I might be tempted to crop off the bottom to eliminate the foreground rocks so the eye focuses on the tufa and sky, to me that is the heart of the image.

Really neat shot here Peter. Does it work for me? Yes.

Having said that, I would consider a slight saturation drop in the blue in the upper sky and maybe a lowering of the opacity of the stars so they look more natural, less put in. That is just me, others may not agree. But as is it still certainly works.

I confess to a deep love of blue landscape photography. So, this one resonates well with me from foreground to infinity.

I really like the blues in this image.. It really enhances the feeling of depth. I agree with those who say the stars should be toned down a bit, or somehow tweak the rest of the image to make it feel a bit more "nightish". Also, I wouldn't mind a slight perspective tweak to get the tufas on the far right and left to be a bit more vertical. I find that my eye is drawn to these leaning tufas, and it takes away from some of the other elements in the scene.

Great subdued and calm mood you captured here Peter. Love those tack sharp stars!

I like your idea here, and the lighting is interesting. If it was me and I was going back, I'd bring rubber boots so I could go a few feet into the water and get a horizontal shot of the formations with the sky.