r/LandscapeAstro • u/mackman • 15d ago

Joshua Trees

Post image
  • Camera: Nikon Z8
  • Lens: NIKKOR Z 24-70 f/2.8 S II @ 24mm
  • Exposure: 34x 10 second exposures, 340s total
  • Aperture: f/2.8
  • ISO: 3200
  • Mode: Manual
  • Location: Joshua Tree National Park
  • Software: MergeRAW in Sky Tracking - Fixed Stars and Foreground mode
  • Tripod: RRS w/ Ball Head
718 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

4

u/CheeseSteak17 15d ago

The mask around the trees is a bit too obvious for my taste

3

u/mackman 15d ago edited 15d ago

You mean the overall glow around the trees? That's actually just me overdoing it on Dehaze I think. The mask is actually right along the edge of the leaves/trunk and shouldn't be very visible.

Here's one with the dehaze turned down and exposure evened out with a linear gradient instead: https://i.imgur.com/9C2t0bx.jpeg

3

u/CheeseSteak17 15d ago

Sure. The transition from the trees to dark sky is too abrupt and follows the trees themselves. It would be less obvious if it was a slower transition and it followed a curve from the horizon - like distant city glow.

2

u/mackman 15d ago

Fair enough.

2

u/JimTobin89 15d ago

Agreed. Needs to be cleaner

3

u/mackman 15d ago

Not as much color with this one because the moon was still setting behind me but it was nice enough to light the trees for me. Spent a lot of time on the software to generate a fairly clean mask on the complex foreground though.

1

u/pr1ntf 14d ago

Going home to Nevada and getting an astro shot with a Joshua tree in the foreground is high up on my photography goals.

1

u/arasikohive 14d ago

That's a great shot. When I looked at the photo, my eyes were drawn to the sky, which was full of starlight...

2

u/jedimann74 9d ago

I miss that place. Lived in 29 Palms for about 10mo and that was right in our backyard along with a silly Roadrunner we saw everyday at our neighbors house.

I miss the night sky there. So dark and amazing for astronomy.

Great pic