Starry Starry (Karoo) Night

[Morkel Erasmus]

There are quite a few places in South Africa where the stars are amazingly bright with little light pollution around...but few of these places are better to view the African cosmos than the Kalahari and Karoo deserts...partly because of the clean quality of air and the sparse population in these areas.

This was captured in the Karoo. The rocks and plant made for an interesting foreground, and during my visit it was almost full moon (the moon was rising, which is the light you see coming from behind the kopje).

All feedback most appreciated.

Techs:
Canon 7D with 10-22mm USM @ 10mm
f3.5 @ 25s @ ISO-3200
Foreground painted with LED Lenser torch bounced off my hand for warmer tone and subtler illumination

[Dave Mills]

Hi Morkel, Good composition and well handled technically. The stars really pop and you lit the foreground IMO in an appealing light. (possibly the reddish brush on the left could be brought up a small bit) It's a fine balance lighting these images. Too much light it looks harsh and contrived and too little light the subject will be lost. These images always look best against a black backround...

[Roman Kurywczak]

Very nice Morkel! Just enough on the FG visible w/o looking overdone! Nice diagonal on the milky way too!

[D. Robert Franz]

Good idea using your hand to warm the light.... Nicely done.

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks for the kind comments Dave, Roman and Dale!!

:t3

[Robert Amoruso]

I think the FG green bush makes this for me. I am wondering if bringing out more details in the dark rock on the left with the light painting would have helped or hurt - just a thought.

[Roger Clark]

Morkel,

Very nice image. Nice colors. For those not familiar with southern hemisphere skies, at the center is the southern cross and the dark spot just below it is called the Coal Sack.

I think that the image would be improved a little with a slight crop off the top where the stars fade out due to lens light fall-off, say just below the the text. That would bring the coal sack closer to the rule of thirds line.

Roger

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks Robert and Roger...

Roger - you know your Southern skies well :bg3:. Will investigate that crop option!