drink milk

[Abbye]

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
I had the opportunity this last two weeks to travel to the Atacama desert in Chile to photograph some core samples and mines.

Last night I headed out to the inca gold mine. 1000 feet elevation, 100km from the nearest town and city lights. I have never seen the milky way like this before...

c&c welcome!
This was a 30 second exposure at F/4 iso 3200.
I am trying to decide if I should brighten up the foreground at all, or if that will just make it look unrealistic... thoughts?




chimbaros by abbye dahl, on Flickr

[wolfnowl]

I wouldn't change it.

Mike.

[bill t.]

That is a superb image!  Seen from a dark location, the Milky Way is truly awe inspiring.  The Incas had a whole mythology based around Milky Way shapes.

Maybe the contrast levels are little high, I dunno.  And from my active astronomy days I remember a more color neutral feel to the clouds, although the red Hydrogen color is correct if out of the reach of human eyes.  But a fine interpretation here, you needn't change anything.  Congratulations.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

It's great just as it is.

[francois]

It's great just as it is.

Agreed, don't touch anything!

[Tony Jay]

I agree.
I think you nailed it.

Regards

Tony Jay

[Chairman Bill]

Nah, I think you should go back & reshoot at f8 ...


I live on the edge of Exmoor, a Dark Skies Reserve, but nowhere do we ever get 100km from a city. Still pretty dark, though not to the degree you enjoyed, and the Milky Way just doesn't look that good from here. I'm very jealous.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Nature is just beautiful, and your photo really conveys that beauty.

[Abbye]

thank you all!

my biggest worry is always that I won't be able to capture the amazing places I see.
I'm very glad this one turned out successful!

[RobbieV]

Just wanted to echo the praises here. Wonderful shot.

[louoates]

Terrific shot. Makes me feel like I'm standing on another planet.

This may be one you'll just have to print a few ways to make sure the dark doesn't "fill in" too much and that the foreground is bright enough but still mysterious.

[OldRoy]

This is a wonderful shot: deeply envious of the experience and the photograph.
It prompts me to give a mention of the wonderful film, "Nostalgia for the Light" shot in the Atacama.
Here's a review from UK's Guardian newspaper.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jul/12/nostalgia-for-the-light-review

Roy

[Justan]

From one rock formation to a bunch of others, thanks for sharing this awesome capture! I wouldn’t change a thing.

I sometimes visit a place that’s well over 100 km from the nearest town and at pretty good elevation, but didn’t know it was possible to capture the milky way in such breath taking detail. According to some research, during August the Milky Way is visible in the southern sky, if the location is dark enough.

I’m going to have to get to a peak in the area with a view to the south, figure out how to stay awake long enough, and give it a try.

Was noise an issue for this image? Did you use in-camera noise reduction?

[Abbye]

From one rock formation to a bunch of others, thanks for sharing this awesome capture! I wouldn’t change a thing.

I sometimes visit a place that’s well over 100 km from the nearest town and at pretty good elevation, but didn’t know it was possible to capture the milky way in such breath taking detail. According to some research, during August the Milky Way is visible in the southern sky, if the location is dark enough.

I’m going to have to get to a peak in the area with a view to the south, figure out how to stay awake long enough, and give it a try.

Was noise an issue for this image? Did you use in-camera noise reduction?

i've also heard that you can see it in the south sky in the summer, living in canada 99.9% of the time, i'll definitely have to take a look.

as for noise, yes it is an issue to over come, but without a high iso you lose detail.  i didn't use in camera noise reduction, but i did use in camera long exposure noise reduction, which made a huge difference!

[bill t.]

Good program for predicting Milky Way position for anywhere and anytime, just select your location.

http://www.stellarium.org/

[Justan]

> as for noise, yes it is an issue to over come, but without a high iso you lose detail.  i didn't use in camera noise reduction, but i did use in camera long exposure noise reduction, which made a huge difference!

Thanks!

> Good program for predicting Milky Way position for anywhere and anytime, just select your location.

Cool, thanks! I was looking for something like that.