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Composite of Milkyway reflecting in lake.

Composite of Milkyway reflecting in lake.

Description

Description
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iPhone

Jul, 2022

Views

668

Likes

+134

Awards

Winner in A Galaxy Far Far Away Photo Challenge

People's Choice in nightynight Photo Challenge

Zenith Award

Top Pick Award

Staff Favorite

Peer Award

+69

Absolute Masterpiece

+23

Top Choice

+19

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

With this composite I had two separate locations. For the Milky Way I had to find a suitably dark location so I used a Light Pollution Map app to find dark skies leading toward the south. For me this was about an hour drive from Omaha to Pawnee City Nebraska. The foreground was taken at at a lake in Omaha and was a happy accident as I was planning what I hoped to be a spectacular sunrise shoot. I arrived a couple hours before sunrise and shot several tests with different foreground compositions with various camera settings. It’s not often I get up that early so I wanted to be sure I learned what my options were for finding a shutter speed balance between smoothing out the water while not over exposing the highlights.

Time

Following the light pollution map, I showed up in this small town around midnight, seeing a church parking lot, I pulled in, that’s when I noticed a patrol car sitting in the lot watching the deserted street. Knowing I was obviously out of place I pulled up and told the officer what I was doing. He took a minute looking at his tablet then showed me a map on it saying “I know a good spot, it’s a slow night follow me”. He led me 20 minutes out of and left me on the side of a pitch black road with the Milky Way clearly visible with the naked eye.

Lighting

This was my second attempt at a galaxy shot, I uploaded the first to an Astrophotography group and received very useful advice to improve it. I was very impressed with the outcome of the sky but without a foreground it was pretty generic. A few weeks later when I was looking through my sunrise session shots, I saw the predawn reflection of the clouds on the lake and immediately pulled it into Photoshop with the Milky Way capture to see if they were compatible.

Equipment

Sony a7iii with a Sony 16-35 @16mm Sky - single shot f/4 ISO 25600 for 30 seconds Foreground - single shot f/22 ISO 50 for 6 seconds Manfrotto tripod

Inspiration

About a year ago I challenged myself to capture something beautiful everyday but in order to do that I needed a camera and to learn how to use it so I set out to learn everything I could about photography and the different styles available. This quest brought me to VIEWBUG and other places photographers of all levels showcase their work. It is truly inspiring, not only to see the results but to have a community to help teach and encourage as you explore the endless possibilities of photography.

Editing

I shoot in raw (with a jpg to a second card as backup) then import everything into Lightroom where I usually adjust white balance, highlights and shadows. I find dehaze a great place to start for adjusting contrast. For this composite, once each photo was adjusted to my liking, I used photoshop to blend them giving special attention to the horizon to make it as seamless as possible then back to Lightroom for any final overall brightness adjustments.

In my camera bag

I realized early on that if I have my camera in a bag, I won’t use it as often so I normally just have my Sony a7iii in my hand or next to me in the car. I take it everywhere, usually with a Sigma 150-600 for wildlife. Being a rather noticeable rig, it draws a bit of attention running errands and has prompted many a great conversations. I have recently started bringing an Insta360 R One Twin with me as well when I’m out in nature because it will catch everything I can’t and they’re a ton of fun! I always have a tripod or three in the trunk. In addition to the a7iii, my Real estate kit includes the Sony 16-35mm f4, DJI Air2s, DJI Mavic Pro Zoom and the Insta360 One RS 1 inch for virtual tours.

Feedback

Capture something beautiful every day. For me, my photography is a roadmap for a joyful life; set aside time everyday with a friend to find something beautiful, even if you have to recompose and zoom in past the less desirable, focus and take a shot. If you succeed you have a gift to share, otherwise try again, nevertheless, you always end up somewhere beautiful, with someone you love, focused on the moment.

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Techreation

Composite of Milkyway reflecting in lake.

Description

Behind The Lens

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