A quiver tree and the galaxy

[Morkel Erasmus]

We just came back from an epic 24 days of camping overland in Namibia with family and friends.
One of our locations was the quiver tree forests near Keetmanshoop.

I hope you like this one - night shooting was limited by the galactic core not being visible this time of year and the moon being up most of the night, we only had a moonless window an hour or so before sunrise.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm
f2.8 | 25 seconds | ISO-3200

[Andrew McLachlan]

Very nice work Morkel with just enough light painting on the foreground quiver tree!

[Jonathan Ashton]

A lovely shot very eye catching. The tree is beautifully illustrated against the backdrop. I also like the detail in the rocks and the more distant elements being in silhouette. The hint of orange on the horizon adds further interest.
I wonder if it would have been beneficial to apply lens correction for distortion in order to make the tree vertical - what do you and other people think?

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks guys
Jonathan these trees don't always grow straight vertically and many jut out diagonally like this - yes the tree "was straighter" in real life but I am fine with the distortion as presented.

[Luis Patacao]

I always enjoy the start skies in these shots, here complemented with a gorgeous tree (im curious to what type of tree is it?).

Well done Morkel!

[Mike Hitchen]

I like the way you have constructed this image, Morkel - I think the distortion on the trees, given that you have one foreground and one background act as lead in lines to the Milky Way.

I wonder if it would have been beneficial to apply lens correction for distortion in order to make the tree vertical - what do you and other people think?

I do not find it distracting at all but I do wonder if a few steps to the right (provided you aren't falling off a cliff!) may have given more symmetry to the two trees.


Does anyone know what the white smudge is about 2/3 up on the right? I presume it is a galaxy or similar.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks folks.
Luis - a quiver tree, a type of aloe
Mike - that would be the Magellanic cloud (one of them I think), a cluster of stars visible in the southern hemisphere? My astronomy is not the greatest eh...