Milky Way Over Watson
Panorama of the Milky Way over Watson Lake, in Prescott, Arizona
Panorama of the Milky Way over Watson Lake, in Prescott, Arizona
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Aug, 2014Views
3357
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Awards
Featured
Sony A3000 Camera & 18-55mm Lens
Contest Finalist in Big Sky Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Nature At Night Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Filters and Effects Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in After Hours Photo Contest
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
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PRO+
blairwacha
May 02, 2015
Very nice! Were you able to capture this with a single wide angle shot, or is it a multi shot panorama? What focal length did you use? Oh ya, where is this? I spend a lot of time inn the northern AZ desert. This has that sort of look. Water is a rarity there. Very nice capture of color and composition!
michaelwilson
May 02, 2015
I'm glad you like the photo! Yea, it is a pano using 4 images. It is shot at Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona
nandicmb
September 11, 2015
Congratulations on your yet another Contest Finalist win Nature At Night Photo Contest!!
lyoung403b
December 12, 2015
Incredible views! Obviously a lot of hard work put forth here. Congratulations!
Platinum
sachinus2010
December 14, 2015
Awesome !! Superb !
Can you share when was this shot - date and time? I am planning for a visit to Arizona when the milkyway season (!) begins in 2016.
Can you share when was this shot - date and time? I am planning for a visit to Arizona when the milkyway season (!) begins in 2016.
lindabonskowski
April 30, 2016
I am absolutely envious!!! My dream is to get a Milky Way shot like this!! So beautiful in every way! Congrats!!!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in the middle of the night at Watson Lake, in Prescott, ArizonaTime
This photo was taken around 1 in the morning. All by myself at the lake, just watching the stars.Lighting
There was a partial moon out, but it was not bright enough to illuminate the foreground. So, I had to use a higher ISO and brighten the foreground in post-processing.Equipment
This photo is a panorama, so I mounted my camera to a tripod and shot about 5 frames in a vertical orientation.Inspiration
This shot was kind of a spur of the moment image. I thought this would be a good location for a Milky Way shot. So, I was researching where the Milky Way was in the sky, and when would be a good time to capture it here. I then realized that that currently the Milky Way was at a good location to make the image, so the following night I was out there.Editing
I captured several vertical images to make a panorama. I stitched the panorama together in Photoshop. The ground was rather dark, so I also brightened the foreground. However, I was also fighting high ISO noise, so I could only brighten the foreground so much, until there too much noise developing. For the sky, I played with contrast, clarity, whites, shadows, etc.In my camera bag
Being primarily a landscape photographer, I always carry my tripod. I also carry a microfiber cloth to clean any spots on the lens that may develop.Feedback
The Core of the Milky Way will tend to be visible above the horizon in spring/summer in the northern hemisphere. Also, later in the year, the Milky Way will be higher in the sky, which can make certain compositions more difficult. To get the whole Milky Way, I had to use a wide angle lens, and also shoot with a vertical orientation. I usually always shoot panoramas using vertical or portrait shots. This allows me to capture more of the scene for later cropping as needed. I can also zoom in some more when shooting vertical, which reduces the wide angle effect.
