Rock Stars (x2)

Here's the second. Please click on it for the larger version. 

Oh, my, Scott!  This is awesome.  The clarity and detail in the stars is among the best I have seen in a night shot.  At least at this size there is very little visible noise as well.  My preferences is for the silhouetted rocks.  Because the rocks have interesting form I think they work perfectly as silhouettes.  My one nit would be that I wish that the rock formations were not covering up the brightest part of the Milky Way.  But I'm not sure what other options you had to reposition.  I noticed that in the light painted version there is a greenish tint to the lower part of the sky.  If you wanted to use the light painted version I would just blend in the rocks from the light painted version with the sky from the non light painted version.  It should be a fairly simple selection in PS or you could use luminosity masks for the blending. 

I love the title!  I'm the king of bad puns, but this is a great pun!

My vote is for the silhouetted version.  Definitely worth the effort of being out there at 2:00 am.

Definitely the silhouettes!! Noise is well handled, and that star trails, even if discernible if one is picky, are short enough not to be a problem, at least for me. So no nits. At first I thought "Easter Island", but I also see your rationale for the title. 

I like the first and would like to see all of the Milky Way...

Like the original version better. In fact, I love it. My initial impression was also of the Rapa Nui sculptures.

Very clever title!  I like the first better.  Nice job!

Interesting title, Scott.  I've been there four times and posted these from different positions, but always in daylight.  While Metate Arch is well known there, these formations are much more interesting to me and manageable for different compositions.

Fabulous night shot, and I like the first one far better than the second. It looks so much more natural, and the second has a greenish cast to it. The silhouettes do look like some primitive Easter Island sculptures, making the whole impact very mysterious and primeval. The sharpness of the stars is amazing, as well as their density. Magnificent!

The silhouette version is the ticket for me, Scott.  Fantastic MW and night image.  Super job.

Hands down the silhouette version for me, Scott. I think the silhouettes just add to the mood and mystery of the Milky Way and the star laden night time sky. Great work on this.

Ed

I like the silhouette version best too. 

It looks a bit yellowish to me. Not sure if it is the natural color but dark blue sky is my preference, maybe it's just personal taste.

The galaxy center is behind the rocks. I wonder if moving to the left or backward would be better.

This IS the best night shot I think I have seen, Scott, and yes, my vote is on the silhouette shot.  The light painted shot the rocks kind of get mixed with the stars and don't stand out as much to me.  Excellent photograph, that belongs on a calendar, or something where it can be displayed!  Well done!

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. A couple people noted that the stone figures block part of the MW, which is true but unavoidable, at least when I was there. If I moved right or left even slightly, tall trees block the figures and night sky. This is really the only unobstructed vantage point. I could have waited and shot this later in the evening, but then the MW would be moving out of the frame to the left, would still have been partially blocked, and I would have lost even more sleep. I also think the MW behind the figures helps the silhouette.     

This image gives me an appreciation and understanding of how the ancient Easter Islanders must have felt in the presence of their statues. It may also help understand why they built them because in daylight they're less impressive. But in the open Pacific sky this must have been quite spectacular and having these behemoths superimposed in front gives a sense of security, awe, and mystery to the nightly event. Perhaps I'm seeing more into this than there is but that's part of the fun of looking at images: personal interpretation. 

The detail in that sky is remarkable given that this was shot at 25secs, which causes dots to look like commas. But even the large version doesn't reveal dashes. I prefer the original version as I'm not to fond of light painting. The second version shows details about the rocks which doesn't give you the chance to interpret as freely. Nice job.