The Alien Throne With Comet 252P/Linear By Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: No Aliens, Just The Alien Throne.

Utah’s Canyon Country by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook The Colorado River passes through the canyons of Utah. This is a breathtaking vista and one of my favorite spots to visit in central Utah. This is a panorama of multiple vertical images with the long exposure foreground images and separate images for the sky (from the same location consecutively), blended in PS. FG: 35 mm, 240 sec, f/1.8, ISO 2000. Sky: 24 mm, 15 sec, f/2.8, ISO 8000.

Questions and Answers

Reducing noise in the high ISO images

People have asked me a number of questions about equipment, issues, and technique in Nightscape or Landscape Astrophotography. Since many of these questions are recurring, I am going to post the questions and answers here. I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability!

Q: How do you get the noise to be so low at ISO 6400?

A: The Canon 6D does very well with noise to start with at ISO 6400, and is very manageable up to 12,800. . I open the image in Lightroom, and in the Detail panel I use the following for ISO 6400: Sharpening 40, radius 0.7, Detail 50, Masking 50, Luminance Noise Reduction 40, Detail 50, Contrast 0, Color Noise Reduction 20, Detail 50, Smoothness 100. This does remarkably well for ISO 6400. I then export the image to Photoshop. Sometimes I use Topaz noise reduction in Photoshop after I have finished processing the image, but not always.  I do this more to soften the sky than to reduce noise. In the processing of the image I increase the contrast of the sky in "Curves", and this can make the sky look overly sharp and harsh in my opinion, so I try to soften the sky with some moderate noise reduction.

In my opinion it is bad to overly sharpen the sky. The sky has a great deal of contrast to begin with, white stars and dark background. The contrast is so great that it increases perceived contrast, and you don’y need to increase sharpness any greater. It makes the stars look “crispy” and harsh. Also extra sharpening will dramatically increase the perception of noise. 

I also use Topaz Noise reduction on dark foregrounds as the noise there is much greater.

Stillness Reigns Over The Alabama Hills by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: This was taken in the Alabama Hills in eastern California, near Mt Whitney. For those who have not been there, it is a wonderful place for night photography, or any landscape photography for that matter. There are numerous large rock collections separated by largely flat ground, making it easy to get around. This panorama was made from multiple vertical images shot at 14 mm, f/2.8, 20 sec., and ISO 10,000. Processed in Lightroom and Photoshop. My daughter served as my photo assistant this summer, and that is her standing on the rock.A big thank you to Eric Gail (www.flickr.com/photos/dot21studios/) for finding this spot. Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family for all the support and encouragement! Please join me at: Website Facebook Instagram Blog

Echos of Long Forgotten Times by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Valley of Dreams, New Mexico Badlands, USA. Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family for all the support and encouragement! Cheers, Wayne

Winged Hoodoo in the Bisti Badlands by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Winged Hoodoo in the Bisti Badlands, New Mexico. There is a marvelous variety of hoodoos in the badlands. Over millennia sedimentary rocks of different hardness were laid down, and the softer lower layers erode faster than the harder upper layers, resulting in unusual shapes. I accidentally left a light on in the back canyon, and did not realize it until the photo came up on the display, but I think it added to the appearance. This is a single exposure. Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family out there. Please join me at: Website Facebook Instagram Blog

Questions and Answers

About Focusing in the Dark

Question: I use a 5Dm3 and a 17-40mm f4 lens. and I struggle to get a good focus point for a one shot photo where everything must be sharp. Any suggestions?

Answer: Yes I do,and it's a problem for everyone. BTW the 5Dm3 is an excellent camera. First of all, the wider the lens the more Depth of Field. When up close use it at 17 mm. The fisheye lens are best when you are really close to something in the foreground. I have a sigma 15mm fisheye that works well. I use lens distortion correction on Lightroom. /use the widest lens you have. Next, take your lens out in the daytime and play around with hyperfocus distance. For example, at 17mm f 4 if you focus at around 10 feet or 3 m then everything should be in focus from about 4-5 feet up to infinity. Try it in the daytime and take a photo and check the focus near and far. Once you get it right, then tape the lens focus ring with masking tape (does not leave a residue) so it will not move. Use the lens at 17mm and do not change the focus.   Second way: go to liveview and mag live view up to 10X. Pan around to Find a star in the field of view and focus on that star until it is sharp. Take a photo and view it and mag it up to make sure everything is on focus. If not then make tiny adjustments and check again.  Third way: At 17 mm and f 4 shine a bright light on something farther than 10-12 feet or 3-4 m away, say 4-5 meters. Focus on that spot. Take a photo and check. Everything should be in focus from about 3-4 meters on. If not then make tiny adjustments and recheck. Cheers, Wayne

Just a Walk in the Park by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Arches National Park at night in winter, along the trail to Landscape Arch and Devil's Garden. Landscape Arch would be off to my right. The was a beautiful and quiet night. I just love the was snow absorbs sound making the world seen very peaceful. There were animal tracks all around but I saw no animals. This is the far northern end of the Northern Arm of the Milky Way. The red color may be faint red airglow. Taken at 14mm, f 2.8,, 25 sec., and ISO 6400. Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family out there. Please join me at: Website Facebook Instagram Blog

Perseverance by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook This is one of my favorite photos of this past summer. The photo is not really spectacular or anything like that, but this Ancient Bristlecone Pine looks like it has borne the weight of the world for millennia. I suspect it is several millennia old at least. It has taken all the abuse the earth could throw at it yet it persists, bent but not broken. In fact it seems to be quite healthy with a lot of foliage not shown here. Is there any better life lesson to learn? ________________________________________________ Low Level Lightening (LLL) used for lighting. A single Cineroid LED light panel was used, set on a 10 ft. (3 meter) light stand about 100 feet (30 meters) away, off to the left side. The light was turned all the way to low and set at a relatively neutral to slightly warm color temperature of 4200K. ________________________________________________11 light frames and one dark frame stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker. 14-24 mm lens, 20 mm, f/2.8, ISO 8000.

Hello Wayne- I came across your Flickr page and subsequently your web site. Your photos are absolutely stunning! I myself am planning a trip to Joshua Tree National Park to photograph the Milky Way on 9-13. I don't know if this is a faux pas, but where (at least in the vicinity) did you shoot your JT pano from? Studying Google Maps, it looks like a good area with large rock formations and yucca trees would be somewhere in between Jumbo Rocks and possibly Key's View on Park Blvd.?

Hi Anonymous. The panorama was shot out the “back” of the Hidden Valley area. If you consider the main road entry as the “front” of Hidden Valley, then go as far into the deepest part of the parking lot as possible. I parked there and hiked a short distance directly out the back going away from the main road. I had planned to be somewhere else (Trona Pinnacles) that night but relocated to Joshua Tree when the weather forecast said the skies would be clear there. I did not have a lot of time to scout it out, but this area seemed to have all the characteristics of Joshua Tree, and also was “open” allowing you to move around and get the angle of the Milky Way you wanted. It was spring, so the Milky Way will be at a different angle now. Another good spot to check out is Arch Rock. Good luck! Cheers, Wayne

Abandoned Cathedral by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Abandoned Cathedral in Madagascar. This is the shell of an old abandoned cathedral in Madagascar. This was adjacent to a girls school and the priest was very nice to let us shoot there at night. There was no electricity in this region and the red glow on the horizon originates from multiple fires. The local people burn the fields to clear them and there are always multiple fires in the distance. Also bandits steal the cattle and set the villages on fire to keep the people from chasing them. 😳😬 This is a panorama of multiple vertical images. There is a Goal Zero lantern in the bell tower and a single light panel off to the right to provide Low Level Lighting on the outside. BTW, we had 3 armed guards at all times. Thanks to WorldPix and Ryan for setting up this trip! Thanks for looking! Wayne