Temples of the Sun and Moon, Lower Cathedral Valley, Capitol Reef National Park. This is a 2-image blend (one for sky/stars, one for foreground/monolith). Both were at f/2.8, 24mm, 25 sec, ISO 5000. The star exposure was at about 4:00am; the foreground exposure taken a little later as the first light appeared on the horizon.
Any C&C is appreciated, but what I'm particularly wondering about is the foreground brightness. I want it to be dark, of course, but just bright enough to make out some detail.
I have to say, standing beneath this monolith, alone, at 4am, looking up at the multitude of stars, was an interesting exercise in feeling small and insignificant. At the same time it was a feeling of peace and grandeur, a feeling that I am an active participant in this great cosmos.
Comments
17 comments1) Sky is nice and clear, and good contrast--I think a very subtle boost in the blue (via WB) would help counter the overall monochrome look of the photo.
2) Might burn down the brightest portion of the galaxy just a bit, for a little more texture/separation
3) Lose half the field, it doesn't add anything here.
4) Push the fg contrast as hard as you can--it's appropriately dark but also as a consequence very flat. Boosting the contrast would also boost the color (which IMO could use a boost, unless you want a monochrome look)
Just my opinions-YMMV
This is a terrific image, and my one suggestion would be to back off on the 'harshness' (for lack of a better word) of the Milky Way itself. Yes, our cameras can capture an amazing amount of stars in the sky, but do they need to? As Stan says, these types of images are becoming quite common and I'm finding myself drawn to the 'less is more' starscape.
One question....why ISO 5000 for the foreground?
John, the 5000 ISO for foreground was due to… sleep deprivation. I suppose a longer exposure with lower ISO would have produced less noise, but my 5DIII handles high ISO noise pretty well and I had planned on keeping it pretty dark anyway. Still, 5000 for foreground was probably overkill.
Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI
I prefer the second version, I prefer the new WB and the crop. I'm also curious as to what a slightly warmer WB might look like on the Temple of the Sun. Also, I would play around with the idea of rendering the sky almost black, which would emphasize the stars without brightening them. Try a quick selection tool/refine edge for the sky only, selective color/blacks and adjust to taste. See if you like that.