Moonlit Spire

This was from my trip a couple weekends ago. I took this at Monument Rocks in the middle of the night, under a nearly full moon and no wind. The cloud cover was heavier than the last time I tried night photography out there. The moon was directly overhead when I took this.

I have 3 other shots at http://gallery.heartland-images.com/album01 . These include the original, unedited version, an edited/uncropped version, and a vertical crop. I had a hard time with halos(dark or light) around the rock whenever I was selecting just it, no matter what method I attempted. I have left the dark halo on these pics, because the only way I have figured out to remove it involves flattening all the layers and then cloning. Is there a way to avoid the halos when using selections?

Have I gone too far in the editing of the pic? Most of the adjustments were just with Curves. The rocks were easily visible under the full moon, as well as some stars despite the cloud cover. Any preference on crop? I really like this image, and would appreciate any input on getting the best from the file.

Thanks for looking, Rob.

You are the only one who can answer that question Rob - you process as much or as little as you like - no one else was there and this is your art. I continue to be amazed at how many folks try to tell others how to create their art or what is should look like or if it did or did not "work" - huh, works for what? This is a great shot of Orion and I don't need to see any other versions of it, just the one YOU like! Go forth and produce your own art and don't worry about what others think about it (unless, of course, they have a checkbook in their hand, then you might listen closely...).

Hey Rob, although I am looking at this on the monitor at work so it appears a little dark. I can say I wouldn't change a thing. Great job with this one! This would look really great as a large print.

Rob, my first reaction was "WOW!", and your picture didn't look unnatural. I do notice the dark halos now that you pointed them out. You might could avoid the halos by having the sky version on one Photoshop layer and the rock version on a second; then use a layer mask on the top version to reveal or hide content as needed. Still, great idea and execution!

Rob, this is a great concept and wonderful execution. I don't really see the halo you are referring to but I do see a "moonbow" that is wonderful! I'd try to pull out some more color there to emhpasize its presence. Great job!

Rob - I really like the comp. Those halos can be troublesome. I've been in situations where even the most careful mask work reveals a little halo at some point or other. Usually feathering or slightly blurring the mask can resolve the issue, but I have on rare occasion had to go through and use the clone or healing tool to fix it the way I thought it needed to be. If you decide you do have to go this direction, there shouldn't be a need to flatten the image, though. Both of these tools work can work on a separate layer as long as "sample all" or "sample current and below" are checked.

Rob, I am really like your composition just the way you have it here. Can you give us some exposure details on this shot?

Thanks everybody. Exposure details were ISO 400, f/3.5, 20 sec. This was the exposure I used for most of my shots that night, which limited star trails. I'm trying to keep this natural looking. Thanks Tim B for the tip on cloning across layers, I'll have to give it a try.

Rob a very cool nite shot, love the stars and like the comp. I have no problem with the way it the way it is.

Ditto what Wayne said. That moonbow caught my attention quickly. The composition is excellent IMO. As far as editing decisions go, I'm just now delving into "selective editing" of some of my stuff so I can understand your concern about going too far with your post work. However, this one looks great to me!

Rob, looks great to me. I think the edit is just right. It looks natural from here. Great job!

Rob, I meant to come back to this sooner...I think this is very cool, very well done, perfect the way it is. It's very visually interesting with the stars and the moonbow, and the rock so well lit. And no wind - what a rarity indeed