Milky way before sunrise

[Bogdan Coltea]

This image is the result of many months of trial & error attempts.
Also one of the most memorable (and magic) nights I've ever experienced.
The foreground is Magura Saddle, the lowest part of Piatra Craiului mountain range (I live at it's foothills).

Hope you like it. C&C welcome.

It was created using Nikon D80 & Tamron 17-50/2.8
17mm, f/2.8, 30 sec, ISO2000

PS: I apologize for the low resolution, but even at 720px across I had to up the compression setting to stay under 200k

Thanks for looking
Bogdan

[Kaushik Balakumar]

A very beautiful image Bogdan. Liked it all the way. The addition of sun's glow near the horizon puts this image over the top for me.

[Dan Walker]

I really like this Bogdan. Great combination of the warm color above the mountains and an excellent capture of the mily way. Looks like all of the trial and error really paid off.

Dan

[Julie Kenward]

Wait until Roman sees this one! This is one great star image and the sun at the bottom really puts it over the edge. I'd love to know what else you did to get this kind of exposure - you did a really marvelous job with it. What made you choose the combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed? I'd love to know...

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Bogdan,
Julie was right.......i love it! You got excellent depth in the milky way and as Kaushik mentioned......the rising sun was a plus in this case. I use noise reduction on the sky most of the time.......did you use it???........or some other technique. Some may want more of a base with the mountain.......but not me.......this is all about the magic of the night. Very well done.

[Bogdan Coltea]

Thank you all very much for the wonderful words.

re: Julie
The exposure I've used is pretty much standard for this kind of photography.
As the galaxy emits very low light levels it's important to gather as much light as possible (hence 2.8 and ISO2000), while using a wide lens to avoid movement in the frame.
Over a couple of months I've tried different shutter speeds from 30 sec. to 1 min, but the lower one gave the best result and sharpest.
There's one more "trick" and that is why I've spent countless hours working on this kind of image.
It's all about getting the atmospheric conditions right.
First off - light pollution must be minimum, otherwise the contrast between the stars and the black sky will be compromised. I got dozens of smeared photos this way.
Another thing is the 'air purity', if I may say so.
This was the main factor for choosing this particular night. We've had rainfall earlier in the day, clear skies over the night. No moon (also important).
Another thing was timing - the atmosphere is cleanest and calmest before sunrise (less suspensions in the air).

re: Roman
Yes, I did use noise reduction - several selective passes with Neat Image, using layers and masks.
The main (and most difficult) job I've had to do was to remove all the chroma noise on the sky. It was quite apparent even after resizing.
I used more on the zones with lower 'star density' and less around the clusters and the main cloud.
I must say - it's the 4th edited version of this image and the only one I'm pleased with.
As far as composition goes you are quite right suggesting more room at the bottom, but this was the maximum I could get with my 17mm lens.
I thought of vertical stitching but was afraid that 30 sec is too much and will surely get movement between the 2 images making it impossible to merge properly.
Also I'm less than stellar in the field with aligning & leveling the camera for panoramas and such ... during the day ... :o




I have many ideas in mind for exploring the potential of this type of photography.
But all in good time :)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Bogdan,
I have posted a small tutorial on night star trail photography here; http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?p=179361#post179361
If you look at my gallery......I have posted some images with star points........so if you have any questions.........just PM me and I will try to answer any questions you may have.
Very nice job on the PP'ing.......my Mark 3 does a better job than the 40D with noise.........as I suspect the D300 or D3 would also do a better job with noise in this situation.

[Bogdan Coltea]

Thank you very much Roman.
I must admit I've already peeped into your wonderful website and the star trail article :)

Indeed the D3 has impressive low light capabilities and no crop factor. It's almost ideal for this type of photography. Unfortunately ... way beyond my reach (financially).

[Dave Mills]

The change from the first light over the mountains to the milky way is both interesting and dramatic. I like this transitional image very much....

[Robert Amoruso]

Bogdan,

Beautiful image and thanks for sharing on the processing info. Addition of the sunset glow is a real plus.

[Shane McDermott]

Absolutely stunning. Amazing Work!

Shane

[Tony Whitehead]

Indeed the D3 has impressive low light capabilities and no crop factor. It's almost ideal for this type of photography. Unfortunately ... way beyond my reach (financially).
Stunning image, Bogdan. D700 will get you the same performance for a fraction of the price.