Milky Way, January 2020, Anza Borego Desert, California

[LBHead]

My early attempt at night sky photography. Sony A7R3 with Rokinon 14 mm lens and metabones adapter. I struggle with the fact that I want my images to appear as close to reality as possible, yet night sky images really can't be, because the night sky and foreground is pretty much black except for the stars.... so how much to lighten the foreground in post-processing and how much to turn the sky from black to blue!

• ILCE-7RM3
• #103 14/2.4
• 14.0 mm
• ƒ/4.5
• 25 sec
• ISO 8000

 

[vmartinezcampos]

Hi @LBHead, I was in a Milky Way shop last weekend and they recommend, if possible, to light paint the foreground, so you are taken the shot at field almost on the go, and hopefully you have to less edit afterwards. I recognised that light painting is an extremely difficult task, so this is also a skill to work on.
By the way, I’ve just bought this lens and I am waiting to receive the camera to test it. All reviews I’ve seen, indicates it is a very good lens for the price; which are your impressions?
Regards!

 

[LBHead]

Hi @LBHead, I was in a Milky Way shop last weekend and they recommend, if possible, to light paint the foreground, so you are taken the shot at field almost on the go, and hopefully you have to less edit afterwards. I recognised that light painting is an extremely difficult task, so this is also a skill to work on.
By the way, I’ve just bought this lens and I am waiting to receive the camera to test it. All reviews I’ve seen, indicates it is a very good lens for the price; which are your impressions?
Regards!

Yes, my impression is it is very good for the price. I love it for capturing expansive images, landscape and night sky, with an interesting center. I'm always pleased with its sharpness from corner to corner, and the feeling I want that the image captures, that none of my Canon and Sony 24 mm lenses or longer do.

 

[vmartinezcampos]

That’s great. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Jane]

You take an image of the foreground separately before dark and then blend with the star photos.

 

[Frattofoto]

This is two exposures. The foreground is a 2-minute exposure and the sky is 15 seconds. I used the A7III and Canon 16-35 f/2.8II to capture the shots. The dynamic range of the A7II is amazing. Editing is key when it comes to night photography.

• ILCE-7M3
• EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
• 16.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 10 sec
• ISO 10000