A Black Hole

Jared, I'll be the first to admit that I was beginning to find these nightime milky way shots alittle boring and cliched, but I think you've made one here that is a step above and unique. Awesome.

The image was looking pretty dark with the white background; perhaps this slightly lighter version works better.

Michael, I know what you mean about MW images being cliched; I've felt the same, but still enjoy producing them. More importantly, I just love being out under the stars particularly in some of these unique locations. It's both humbling and exhilarating staring up at our Milky Way and realizing our solar system is one of billions in our galaxy, which itself is just one of billions of galaxies in the cosmos. Leads to some poignant thoughts and questions, unlike what I'm thinking right now (why I skipped lunch and what I'm going to eat now).

I think your images are more different than most because of the lack of light painting of the foreground. This works for me in volumes especially the more eerie atmosphere..... I certainly like your light adjustments in your repost but your original also works for me.

This is a wonderful Milky Way image. I prefer the first version. Curious about what this would look like with the foreground looking more red as it does during the day.

I like the image because of the unique foreground. Unique and interesting. I like both images.

This one of the nicest images I've seen of this place. You've done a great job on it. Either version works for me..

BTW: You might consider submitting this to APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) NASA's astronomy website. This image is as nice as many others I've seen there.

--P

I think these pools and trees are very popular and provides a focal point, and you certainly did everything right here, but can you imagine this with convoluted sandstone and the Milky Way. Would be a whole different plant.

Great image with surreal look. I prefer the slightly lighter version. I have been looking at the image for a long time and I would crop off a slice of the top of the image because I feel that it would improve the balance. Perhaps you could increase the contrast in the pool so that it retains the attention. But great as is!

Wonderful image - full of darkness and foreboding: deathly looking tree emerging from the black pool. And full of enchanting light in the star-filled sky…nicely done …very little noise. I like the slightly lighter version. And the comp is special. Good colors with the overall dark brick. Metallic print would seem like the best way to hang this.

Very different, definitely like this alot, I do prefer your re post, but would be happy with either one. Beautiful work.
John

I just marveled when I opened the large version.
Very unique and the PP is so well done.
I still might bring up the FG a bit, with iso100 it would not hurt at all.....

Unique take on this place Jared! I've never seen a night shot from this location. The repost especially does the trick...

Jared,

I fine both images equally appealing. Strong composition and excellent processing on both. I do agree with Eva that what makes these work so well for me is the absence of light painting. I prefer the outdoors at night but with the exception of a couple of lunar images, never try to shoot then. This is realistic enough that I will get out more in the evening. Beautiful work.

pat

Awesome Jared, probably my favorite shot i've seen of scenes like this. Personally I prefer the original, I suppose because the lighting looks more natural. The composition is great, the bright cottonwood, the bit of light on the water, really a great job all around. I might crop a bit off the top and see how that looks, it might direct the eye better. Well done!

I think it is a great shot in terms of conceptualized and the elements. The blend on the other had leaves me wanting. Just does not look natural to me, sorry.

I really like this,Jared. Love the feel for the location itself and the handling of the light. I like that it is not overly light painted, if at all. It has a very otherworldly and mysterious vibe that I love. Great work .

Hi Jared,
Great image.The colors of the Milky Way look quite natural, though a little blue at upper left in the constellation Cygnus. You have wonderful balance with the foreground even with it taking up so much space. I like both versions. On my desktop with calibrated monitor, the repost looks a little better to me, but on my laptop the original looks best. In practice, both are excellent in my view.

Now for some small nits. By doing the foreground later when twilight started, two things seem out of place. 1) The reflection in the water is bright and blue, but the sky is black. 2) There are no stars in the reflection, and with a wonderful star filled sky, there should be some stars in the reflection.

You can do the foreground the same time as the sky, just do a longer exposure. For example, I typically do 30 second exposures at ISO 1600, f/1.4 of the sky, and 1 to 2 minute exposures for the landscape, same other settings.

Question: where is this?

Roger

Nice work Jared. A unique view to this location. While an excellent job with the processing, the background appears a little pasted behind the FG. It might be due to the composition - no real midground. Probably unavoidable from this vantage point. I might have used part of the exposure taken when the sky was shot, as Roger suggested for the pool of water/reflection. You probably could still try as that exposure should have some of that info as well. The lower ISO and warmer rock tones might have looked better for the finished shot. The rock on the right creates a little imbalance, maybe would have tried to center more, or moved a little to the left and shot more toward the right These are very minor points - I'm sure you walked around this a bit before deciding on camera placement.

Thanks, all, for the helpful comments.

Preston, thanks for the NASA website info. Sounds like fun - I'll look into that.

Mark, I think I do see what you're seeing as far as the apparent disconnect between foreground and sky. I'm not sure what to do about it though. Darken the foreground further? Do more with the transition line? I think it's mainly due to what Harry mentioned, the fact that there's no real mid-ground. But let me know if you have ideas on helping that transition.

Roger, thanks for the "nits" - I'm always appreciative of those critiques. Good point (Harry as well) about the possibility for stars reflected in the pool. Question, though: wouldn't I get star trails with a 1-2 min exposure? Seems like the best thing would have been to blend in a high ISO exposure just for the pool. [clarification: I shot this as part of a 180 degree pano, with 7 high ISO exposures for the sky and 7 low ISO exposures for terrain. So unfortunately I don't have a high ISO terrain exp]. Another complication is that I had to clone out some unsightly growth from another plant/tree that covered much of the light reflected in the pool; don't know how easy it would have been to end up with clear stars in the pool. Still, good feedback and much appreciated.

The specific location is "semi-secret" from what I've gathered; I found it with some internet searching and confirmed with google maps. Out of respect for those who I know would not want the specific location revealed here I'll just repeat what I've heard others say in this kind of forum, that it's within the borders of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I had a blast exploring the area during the day - kind of like an Easter egg hunt exploring the terrain and various holes. ;)

Harry, thanks for the good suggestions - I'll keep playing with possible refinements. I kinda liked how the rock on the right (and lines leading away from it) mimicked the form of the MW above, but your comments are very helpful and appreciated.

For me it is a few things. The land too bright (and maybe lower contrast) and the Milky way too intense. Also the water has a very cool blue tint to it that the Sky doesn't. I really dont know what else to say. I just know these are very HARD!!! It is certainly worth the effort though. You will get it nailed!

I'm sooooooooo jealous. This is the shot that I was most looking forward to on my Utah trip, then ripped up my ankle the morning of the day we arrived here. Needless to say, I spent my time sulking in my tent.

Masterful Jared.

Congratulations on the well deserved weekly pick. Bravo

Such a unique image, so well created in camera and in post-processing. Congratulations on the Pick. I'd definitely agree with Preston and urge you to get this into some sites like NASA's as well as other juried competitions.

Love the juxtaposition of Milky Way and ground.

Too many comments to read, so forgive any redundancy.

The transition from ground to sky looks too unnatural for my taste.

Fantastic elements in the comp.

I would rework the image to be darker overall and also darken the transition even more. Although not as flashy, the realistic feel may be inviting and less jarring.