Milky Way Newby

[Julie G]

Just a few weeks ago, I didn’t even know what an aperture was.  I was determined to try to take a picture of the Milky Way during the Perseid shower on August 11th.  I am attaching my best image and my edited version of that image.  I would love to have it critiqued.  I used GIMP to edit, which was also a first for me.

[Julie G]

Here is my edited version.  

[JasenkaG]

Hello Julie, thanks so much for sharing this photo of the Milky Way!

It’s great that you’re a quick learner – you started from nothing and now you’re already shooting night sky photography, which is not an easy task at all.

We have a section of the forum called Shark Tank where you can post the photos and get our feedback on them.

Personally, I’m not an expert on astrophotography, but I think the edited version is a bit heavy on contrast and saturation. I prefer the unedited one because I can see the subtle diffused light coming from the entire Milky Way.

 

[Dahlia Ambrose]

@jgoldston Hi Julie, welcome to the forums.

I agree with Jasenka about the post processing being a bit too much. Good to see that you have captured a few of the perseid meteors.

Would you mind sharing the exif details with us please? It looks like it was shot with a longer lens or was it cropped?

Here is the link to the Shark Tank if you have not noticed it

The Shark Tank Feedback Forum

I like the subtle feel in the original image, but I think the focus is a bit off. It is good to zoom in on live view on a bright star and use manual focus.

Look forward to your response 🙂

[Julie G]

My camera body is a Canon Rebel t5i.

My lens is a 35mm f1.4 Sigma Art.

No cropping, but the crop sensor does come into play.

ISO 3200

shutter speed 8 seconds

f1.6

I took it at Clingmans Dome in the Smoky Mountains.  There was some light polution from the town at the base of the mountain.

I am looking into a 20mm lens to get a wider angle.

 

[David Chesterfield]

Hi Julie,

 

i agree with Jasenka and Dahlia, the second image feels over processed I’m afraid. Your exposure in the first image looks good . The 500 rule says a max of 10 seconds with that camera/lens combination.

are you shooting RAW? If so adjust the blacks, whites, highlights and shadows slider to get detail in the Large Magellanic Cloud without turning the sky black.

Another lens worth looking at for your camera is the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 – I don’t use them, but a lot of Milky Way photographers swear by them. Sharp, and wide. You would get an exposure time of nearly 30 seconds with that!

[Julie G]

I am shooting in RAW, but am struggling to edit in a way that I like. I tried using rawtherapee last night, with little success.

I think a big part of my problem is that I am trying to make the sky color black, like it was the night I took it. I am now realizing I need to go with what my camera could see, not what I could see.

I see that Lightroom has predetermined settings that I could use as a crutch. I may have to get a subscription. I had hoped to use free software.

Thank you for the lens suggestion.  I am going to go look at it this afternoon after school. I prefer autofocus, but realize now that astrophotography requires manual focus anyway.

[Julie G]

So, where is the Large Magellanic Cloud in my photo?  Is it the veinous looking blob on the right third of the photo?

[David Chesterfield]

Sorry – I have misled you. The large magellanic cloud isn’t in this image (oops, my mistake). You should be able to get detail in the dust lanes, and reatin the soft glow from the core. Something like this:

 

[Julie G]

No harm.  I researched it and learned something new. Thank you for your feedback.

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