Milky Way and Repost

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 22, 2013262 views12 comments

My first attempt to shoot the Milky Way. Camping with my grandchildren in Rocky Mountain National Park. The first night out I never sleep well. Up at 3:00 am, so I decided to try shooting some images on a clear moonless night. Thanks for all the comments and critiques.

Canon 7d
Sigma 17-70
Manual
Shutter 30sec
Aperture 2.8
ISO 1250
17mm
Tripod and mirror lock up
Contrast adjustment in PSE9

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on July 22, 2013 at 9:35 PM

I like the way you tried to frame the MW, but the capture was less than successful. You need a pretty fast lens (f2.8 or greater) and a higher ISO than what you used in order to get a clear shot at it. If you're shooting in RAW, then adjusting the white balance to a cooler temp. seems to make the skies more aesthetically pleasing.

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Johan Eickmeyer on July 22, 2013 at 9:36 PM

Hi Richard. Good to see you have given a go at the milky way galactic core!

A couple of pointers which should be easy to follow:

If this is a RAW file, try using a white balance temperature of around 3950 K.
Boost the brightness a little. And finally try using an Unsharp mask with the radius maxed out all the way, threshold very low, and the amount to where you find you like the intensity of the effect. There are many ways to enhance the milky way, but this should be a simple way of getting favorable results.

Thanks for posting Richard!

Registered on March 25, 2013, 36 Posts, 164 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on July 22, 2013 at 10:07 PM

Thanks for the comments. Here is a repost after applying some of the suggestions.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on July 22, 2013 at 11:16 PM

Hey, that does look better!

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on July 23, 2013 at 1:01 AM

The repost looks great Richard. Much better detail and color. Well done.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Warren on July 23, 2013 at 2:11 AM

Well-framed, and the repost is a significant improvement. Looks like you caught a shooting star there through the middle - nice!

Registered on May 11, 2012, 84 Posts, 931 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on July 23, 2013 at 10:36 AM

I like how the trees frame the milky way. Good job on re-processing.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on July 23, 2013 at 12:34 PM

I think you nailed it with the repost, Richard. The color seems more natural and the meteor shooting through the sky is a definite plus.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Johan Eickmeyer on July 23, 2013 at 3:47 PM

Nice re-post and I also like how the shot is very close to how it is seen with the naked eye. It's sometimes too easy (and too fun) to go overboard with the processing of the galactic core. I am very guilty of that myself.

Glad our suggestions were able to help you.

Registered on March 25, 2013, 36 Posts, 164 Comments

Comment posted by Chet Dowell on July 23, 2013 at 4:03 PM

Very successful repost Richard. It looks like a lot of fun. Well done. Chet

Registered on December 3, 2012, 237 Posts, 1171 Comments

Comment posted by Ted Gore on July 23, 2013 at 4:09 PM

I might also suggest that in your raw conversion, try taking your color noise removal to 100%. Will help with the splotchy colors, and doesn't degrade the image at all. I do it to all of my star shots.

I think you could pull a little more brightness out of this also. Not sure how much you pushed the exposure here, but if you increased your white levels a little bit, and then dropped your blacks a little also, it might help the milky show up a little better.

Registered on April 25, 2013, 36 Posts, 149 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on July 25, 2013 at 12:24 PM

Richard, Nice work on the repost! Pretty cool looking.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments