Kuiper Planetscape

A personal, technical highlight/achievement...two image blend of two

photos taken close to an hour apart in extremely low light conditions in

some remote Wyoming badlands. Took lots of patience to both

photograph and process this.

 

Dunno why I'm even posting this for ratings, it will probably get

slaughtered like everything else I've tried, but what the hell, bring on the

3s and 4s!

 

At least do me a favor and take the time to enjoy this under darker

lighting conditions and a calibrated monitor. Otherwise, you're going to

wish it was lighter, which it is not supposed to be.

 

Cheers, and thanks for looking.

Really wonderful! Your work here is superb and perfect. Bravo.

Que maravilla.

Abrazoos.

Awasome, stunning...!! Bravo!

Kind regards,

Ramon.

Nicolaus,

Thanks for commenting on my image. Mine is not perfect, but I think yours is. I'm also into Astronomy and yours hits the spot. Very nice.

This is a very fine example of astrophotography. Your ability to capture and present such a fine image shows that the new-found technique you have learnt is paying off. well done

Thanks for the comments!

Brian, this image is far from perfect, but I think I may be headed in the right direction for better achieving shots like this. I have some stuff planned for when winter hits this year, and I hope to blow this shot out of the water at that point...we'll see. 

You should be proud that your effort produced such a remarkable and satisfying result.  The dark foreground may not show good detail on a laptop or on non-calibrated screens, but it is in balance with the night sky—clearly in the true middle of the night— and full glory of the Milky Way. I can see some detail even in the darkest part (right middle ground), and especially in the hills on the horizon, which adds interest there at the transition from earth to sky. The curving fissure in the rock leads into the middle ground and mirrors the curve of the Milky Way. It all works together beautifully.

Unfortunately, dark skies like this no longer exist in most parts of the country, even in the west, due to scattered light from cities and towns.  I hope to take my grandchildren camping in some of these dark-sky areas when they are a little older.

Thank you for sharing this image. 

Amaizing shot, Nicolaus ... great work !! Congrats & regards.

Jim, thank you for the thoughtful comment. It's very true that scenes like this are becoming more and more rare. I suppose I am very lucky to live where I do, as we are one of the few places on earth where the wildlife still outnumber the people. ;]

One thing to note though is the sky seen like this is only something the camera could have picked up. The foreground lighting is actually slightly less than what a human adjusted eye can see (half moon was out for the first portion of the image), but I would have a hard time believing there is a place on earth where the galaxy would be so bright to the naked eye. It's unfortunate, but true. The skies here are truly amazing to behold, especially in the higher mountains, don't get me wrong. I'm sure your grandkids would love to hang out in the Winds or Bighorns sometime. Especially above the tree line. I hope to have some images similar to this from locations such as that in the near future.

excelente trabajo,

truly outstanding photo. i can see the shadow details very good. composition is outstanding. the mood of the moon lightning came out very nicely from this photo.

This is a perfect image for me, outstanding work, warm regards!

This is a wonderful image in every way, well seen and well executed.   I especially like the way the foreground shape mirrors that of the sky.

WONDERFUL !!!!!!

Nicolaus, no apologies necessary. Too many photogs render night images improperly -- too much light -- making them look like bad day shots. This is an excellent image. It leaves no doubt that it is a night shot. Very nice work. Cheers from Flagstaff, AZ.

I wıll send outo leyer.Regards.

Wayyyyy too bright Jena, but thank you for taking the time to post it. Like I mentioned before, this image needs to be viewed under darker conditions, otherwise you'll wish it was brighter. ;]

The perfect light control Nicolaus reveals the wonderful details in this glorious sky.

Also successful composition with well written f/g and great depth.

My congrats for this capture....7/7....

Whilst the sky is phenonemal to view, what really does it for me is the rough nature of the terrain, it could be a view from the moon and I think it is an exceptional photograph.  I notice you have cranked the ISO up to 800 and the results speak for themselves. I have tried similar experiments but with a much higher ISO and a lot shorter exposure time, but not with such good results. The two main problems in the UK are light pollution and clouds. But I shall persevere, I'm bound to get lucky ......eventually! As for the 3's and 4's.......well thankfully they haven't appeared and nor should they, but in the event that you become disheartened in any way as your comments suggest you might, then it's worth remembering that it's the people with the courage of thier convictions that have commented, and all of the above comments are very positive. Anonymous numbers are just that.........Numbers!

Excellent work!

Regards

Alf

Truly innovative Nicolaus! Also demonstrates a labor of love since this requires alot of patience. I think your processing is just right. It really gives me the feeling of how the milky way would illuminate the landscape. I think the real challenge with this image is producing a good viewable print. If displayed under sufficient track lighting, probably is doable, but if viewed under normal conditions, I think brightening the highlights in the badlands would be necessary. Very nice work of art!

A celestial beauty, superbly composed, and otherwordly, Nicolaus. It is more than worth a long look, especially in dark lighting conditions.

The subtle lighting and overall darkness make this very compelling and truly authentic in feel. Your efforts are well rewarded in this image.

Truly a stunning and compelling image. Congratulations on producing a really nice piece of work. I have added this image to my favorites! Thomas

Worth the work! Nice job, I just wish I could see it bigger!