Meteors over Pinnacles +Re-post

Gallery: LandscapePosted August 15, 2013494 views10 comments

Pinnacles National Monument, CA
Perseids Meteor Shower and Milky Way, over the Pinnacles

2013:08:04 00:54:11
D800
17-35mm @ 17mm
(5) 30-second images merged
f/3.2
Mode: Manual
Metering: Multi-segment
ISO: 3200
White balance: Auto
Tripod, remote release, a lot of luck

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on August 15, 2013 at 3:56 AM

Nice!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on August 15, 2013 at 6:12 AM

This is pretty cool, Sandy. LARGE version is a must!!! I like the clouds highlighted by the last light of the sun, adding some nice color to the image. A bit of noise evident, but not too bad for ISO3200!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on August 15, 2013 at 11:56 AM

Beautiful shot Sandy! Large version is awe inspiring.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on August 15, 2013 at 1:30 PM

Great with all the meteors Sandy and those pinnacles as a powerful FG. Two things that strike me, 1- this looks terribly noisy to me for a modern DSLR @ iso 3200, even at this small image. This is party because it is not processed correctly is my guess, as well as maybe exposed in the field. In this image it is fine to have the pinnacles and FG much darker. Did you do any noise reduction at all?
2- There is a black spot in the top 1/4 of the image, above and right of the Milky Way; what is that?

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 15, 2013 at 2:51 PM

Vincent, I'm not seeing the black spot - please email me and tell me where it is before I have this printed out!
There were lots of little clouds - is it perhaps a cloud patch obscuring the stars behind it?
I'll also add some better NR, so please check back.
Should I have had the long exposure NR "ON" in the camera? We were told to turn it off, at the workshop.

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Chet Dowell on August 15, 2013 at 3:13 PM

Outstanding!

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

Comment posted by Tony Prower on August 15, 2013 at 3:33 PM

Great night image! The Milky way looks great!!

Registered on February 5, 2012, 24 Posts, 167 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on August 15, 2013 at 3:36 PM

Nice capture. Excellent processing. I might crop a bit from the left just to keep the three peaks from being quiet so centered but it works great as is

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 17, 2013 at 10:38 PM

Here is a re-worked copy, after one of the Moderators kindly gave me some excellent suggestions.

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Marylynne Diggs on August 21, 2013 at 8:39 PM

Very nice. I like that the pinnacles are just dark enough to be realistic, but just exposed enough to avoid complete silhouette. I'm curious about this merging technique I keep seeing in night shots with stars. Are you using PS layers or a focus stacking or HDR program?

Registered on December 14, 2010, 122 Posts, 1034 Comments