Beneath the Darkness (+ compare v2)

Very cool! I like that the tufas are not dark and simply silhouetted - their detail adds a lot of interest.
Sandy

Navin,

This looks really nice to me. The smoke gives it a glow that different from most of the night shots from Mono Lake that I've seen. Your processing looks good, and I'm liking the detail you were able to pull from the tufa towers.

Thanks for your comment on my sand tufa image. Also, glad to help with your trip planning! I'm looking forward to seeing more!

--P

Navin, This is really well done. I think the smoke added a nice effect to this and I too like the detail you were able to get in the tufa towers. That is especially seen in the large version. Nice work Navin! Your newly calibrated system seems to have worked well for you!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Love the color scheme!

Very well balanced night shot. The tufas look like some ancient ruins. There's not much color, so I wonder how it would look in BW.

Great image; well done....nothing further to add!

Navin, I agree with the other comments and my only addition is that the composition reminds of the European church spires which were intended to list the eye toward the heavens. My eye goes right to the Milky Way--well done.

Todd

Thanks for your thoughts so far. Here's another version for your thoughts. I pushed the colors a little further, added some more contrast in the sky, and enhanced the glow. Please let me know which version you prefer.

This is my first blend like this and I have not regularly shot milky way and/or dead of night shots so any thoughts are helpful. Thank you!

large

Navin, this is very nice. I like your composition here and I do like the color in the repost. Nice work with the blend!

The color in the repost really sends this one over the top. really well done. I get jealous of you guys with D800's for the low noise under long exposures at high ISO. Then I print a real large photo from my 4x5 scans and my jealousy abates.

The detail is nicely revealed in the large version, especially the fg. Fantastic shot Navin. The additional processing in the repost looks very good... I only wish I could see a large version of it. Excellent work!

Navin, the second version is much nicer overall. I also think the linked shot was a good idea and does provide a nice look there too. As I've never done any type of night time photography I cannot offer up any other ideas on this capture or for any future non daylight images. The non daylight shooting really gets into another world of the overall process. But, you've surely got the right camera to work that process out for the best IMO. Good luck on this type of photo work.

The angle of view with the tuffa's made this a very interesting look too.

Navin, I like the color in the first one and the extra contrast and pop in the sky in the second, assuming that the purchase print version is a duplicate of the repost, because it really pops.

Fantastic Milky way capture, great processing of the shadows.

I just revisited this, and I really like your new version.

Navin, both versions are nice. I like the repost slightly better but feel that the yellows, especially in the milky way and near the horizon, are just a bit to much. Perhaps toning them down just a touch would fine tune this even more. I really like your choice of composition here.