Evaluating my 'Wheal Owles under the milky way' image

 A critical review of my favourite milky way image from this season 

If I was honest – I think this is the best milky way landscape photo I have ever taken. But, then if I critically review it carefully – I know there is significant room for improvement. 

The background to my summer season of milky way photography can be found at https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/09/an-epic-milky-way-summer-16-nights-2000.html

 

Ok then - let's get going. As always, if yhou have some tips, thoughts, advice, drop it in a comment box - always appreciated and such sharing helps us all progress further. 

Horizon & Edge Alignment

Engine House & Stack Seam: The masking around the stone engine house and chimney stack is very clean. I can’t see any obvious dark halos or light bleeding around the tight masonry edges, thus keeping the structure sharp against the sky.

Ground Horizon Seam: The transition where the rolling moor/cliff background meets the sky shows a distinct reddish-brown glow. Is that a good thing? Along the left horizon, the blending is smooth, but the intense red ambient cast makes the background landform bleed visually into the lower atmosphere, so obscuring the physical horizon line slightly.

Lighting Consistency

Foreground Lighting: The light painting on the stone wall is dramatic, emphasizing the rugged texture of the granite. It was what I was aiming for on the night. However, the warm, intense orange/red cast covers not just the engine house, but also the ground, the lower sky, and the distant horizon – so I need to improve my light painting techniques.

Colour Balance: This photo suffers from a heavy global colour cast. At first I really liked it; now I’m not so sure. The sky transitions from a strong, saturated reddish-orange glow near the bottom to a deep olive-green hue at the top (an unintended colour shift from my overly heavy-handed white balance and/or noise processing). Actions? Lowering the red/orange cast on the landscape and correcting the greenish tint in the upper sky will make the scene look much more natural and cohesive.

 

Storytelling and narrative

Narrative Impact: This is quintessential South West Coast Path iconography – it was why I wanted to holiday in the area for a few days. I hope the historic tin mining heritage against the backdrop of space tells a powerful story of spirited human history beneath timeless skies. I think it does.

Composition: The framing is visually pleasing. Positioning the engine house chimney on the left creates a stunning dynamic pairing with the vertical sweep of the Milky Way on the right. The smaller structure in the mid-ground gives the scene a great sense of depth and scale, which is what I was hoping for.

Final Verdict

Compositionally and narratively, I feel this is a strong image that perfectly captures the history of this part of the south west coastal footpath. However, the heavy red lighting cast and the green/red gradient in the sky are its main technical drawbacks and this is where some people have loved its dramatic tones and moodiness; whilst others have felt it has failed to capture the night sky and landscape in their true colours on the night. Thus, it is a misrepresentation. Bringing the colour balance back to neutral night tones would address this. My problem? I really like the moody dramatic tones. Beauty is in ‘the eye of the beholder’ after all!

 

So, if I were to improve this image in affinity photo v1 – what could I do?

I could neutralize the intense red light cast on the foreground and fix the green airglow tint in the upper sky by:

1.Removing the Red/Orange Cast from the Engine House: Foreground Adjustment.

Adding a HSL Adjustment Layer directly above my foreground layer. Clicking the colour dropdown menu and selecting Reds - dragging the Saturation slider left (around 30% - 40%) to strip out the oversaturated red tint, would help. Switching the dropdown to Yellows and dropping saturation slightly (around 15%) would leave a natural, warm stone texture without the intense glow.

2.Neutralize the Green Tint in the Upper Atmosphere: Upper Sky Adjustment.

Adding a Selective Colour Adjustment Layer above the sky layer and selecting Greens from the dropdown menu - moving the Magenta slider to the right (+15 to +30%) to counteract the green hue, would help. Similarly, selecting Yellows and shifting the Cyan slider right (+10%) to cool down the remaining sickly undertones in dark space would also benefit the image.

3.Harmonize the Sky and Land Colour Temperatures: Global Colour Balance.

A White Balance Adjustment Layer at the top of my layer stack - Shifting the Temperature slider toward blue to give the sky deep night-blue tones. If the foreground becomes too cool, I could invert the White Balance adjustment mask and paint it onto the sky layer only using a soft, white Paintbrush Tool (B).

 

 

4.Restore Deep Space Blacks with Curves: Contrast Fine-Tuning.

A Curves Adjustment Layer targeting the sky to pull down the shadows slightly – will deepen the background sky contrast, push out residual colour grain and make the stars pop against crisp, dark space.

Verification: Toggle the visibility of the adjustment layers on and off. The engine house stone should retain warm, lit highlights without looking neon red, and the space behind the Milky Way should look clean and dark blue rather than green.

When I have had time to test this work flow proposal – I will post the re-edited image here and we can decide which one looks best.

As always, if you have any constructive criticism, tips and advice about the image, drop it in a comment box below so that we can all learn and benefit from it.

Take care, keep looking up, have fun under the skies

Steve

Aka Plymouthastroboy

Evaluation of my 'fisherman's cottage at mullion cove' under the milky way sky

 A critique of my 'Mullion quayside cottage under the milky way' image 

I am really pleased with this photograph. A great improvement on my normal milky way landscape efforts. But, in an attempt to be truly evaluative, I have taken a closer look.

But beforer we get into this, if you want to read more about my summer season of milky way photography - visit https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/09/an-epic-milky-way-summer-16-nights-2000.html

As always, if you have some constructive comments and tips – then drop them in the comment box below so that we can all learn something new.

 

Horizon & Edge Alignment

Masking along the roof line of the cottage and night sky is fairly clean but there is some dark fringing and slight star bleed right above the chimney and along the right of the building.

Landform masking is ok, but there is a telltale soft boundary glow on the far-left cliff edge, where the rocky slope meets the sky. Culprit? Poor masking during the composite blend.


Lighting Consistency

Foreground Lighting: The stone cottage and grassy bank are brightly lit with warm, directional light from my off-camera light painting with a head torch. While this light painting adds pop, the exposure on the front stone wall is almost ‘too’ bright relative to the night sky, thus making the building look artificially pasted over a dark backdrop rather than sitting naturally in a starlit scene.

Colour Balance: The sky features a deep greenish-teal airglow gradient alongside the magenta galactic core. However, the cottage lighting is heavily saturated in warm amber/yellow – this creates a stark, slightly unnatural warm-versus-cool clash.

Potential correction? Softening the light painting exposure on the stone wall and cooling its white balance slightly would blend the foreground seamlessly into the night environment.

Storytelling and narrative

I have been really focusing on two elements this year – composition and narrative story telling within an image. Let’s take a look then at whether I have made any progress.

Narrative Impact: Featuring an iconic coastal cottage in this part of the Lizard Peninsula ties directly into the essence of shelter, heritage, and rest along the south west coastal path trail. Well, I hope so.
Composition: The vertical orientation works well I think - the galactic core erupts directly behind the cottage like chimney smoke, creating a powerful vertical line that draws the viewer’s eye straight up from the cottage to the cosmos.

My Final Verdict?
I think this is a visually striking composition with great vertical energy. Tightening the edge mask along the left cliff and softening the artificial light painting on the cottage stone will turn this image in to a really good photograph.

 

So, next steps:

To tone down the harsh bright light painting on the cottage front and to blend it naturally into the night sky using Affinity Photo 1, I could:

 

1.Target the Foreground Layer: In the Layers Panel, select the foreground image layer containing the illuminated stone cottage. Blend Colour Temperature with White Balance by adding a White Balance Adjustment Layer directly above the foreground layer and clip it (drag it onto the foreground layer thumbnail). Shift the Temperature slider toward blue (cooler) and slightly adjust Tint toward green/magenta until the artificial amber light on the stone matches the surrounding ambient night light.

2. Pull Back Highlights with Curves: so, some Exposure Control. Add a Curves Adjustment Layer clipped to the foreground. Click the top-right node of the curve (the highlights) and drag it downward to lower the harsh intensity of the lit stone wall. Add a node in the centre to pull the midtones down slightly, ensuring the building sits naturally in shadow without looking washed out.

3.Apply a Vignette & Edge Shadow: Final Polish by adding a new Pixel Layer set to Multiply blend mode at 40–50% opacity. Select a large, ultra-soft Paintbrush Tool (B) with dark blue/black ink at 10% opacity, and gently brush around the outer base and roof edges of the cottage to roll off the light painting naturally into the surrounding darkness.

Verification: If I hide and reveal my adjustment layers to confirm that the cottage maintains its detail while looking lit by gentle starlight and ambient glow rather than a bright flashlight – I can evaluate how well these planned adjustments might look.

 

There are other things I could so, although I haven’t quite yet worked out the workflow order yet:

To create a sharp, clean mask along a rigid structure like a stone roofline in Affinity Photo 1 without leaving dark halos or soft bleeding:

1.Outline the Roofline with the Pen Tool: Selection. Select the Pen Tool (P) set to Mode: Path in the top context toolbar. Zoom in closely (200%) and click along the roofline, chimney, and edges to trace the structure precisely. Placing points slightly inside the outer edge of the roof prevents catching sky pixels.

2.Convert the Path to a Selection: Conversion.

With my vector path complete, click the Selection button in the top context toolbar to convert the vector outline into a "marching ants" active selection.

3.Apply Subtle Edge Feathering: Refinement.

Go to Select > Refine Edges. Set Feather to a tiny value (0.5 - 1.0 px) to prevent the cut from looking like a harsh vector cutout. Leave Smooth and Ramp at 0 to avoid softening the straight edges of the roof. Click Apply and see what happens.

4.Generate the Layer Mask: Masking.

With the cottage layer selected in the Layers Panel, click the Mask Layer icon at the bottom of the panel. This automatically clips the sky out along my trace.

Verification: Zoom to 100% along the roofline and chimney. Toggle the sky layer on and off to confirm there are no dark fringe outlines, bright halos, or missing stone textures.

 

On looking closely at this image again – I suddenly spotted some high ISO sensor noise and some ‘grain’ in the sky layer. So this needs resolving. A possible work flow is:

1.Duplicate & Target the Sky Layer: Isolation.

In the Layers Panel, select my sky layer to duplicate it. Name this new layer "Sky Denoise". This keeps my edits non-destructive.

2.Remove Colour Speckles (Denoise Live Filter): Colour Noise.

Go to Layer > New Live Filter Layer > Noise > Denoise... Drag the live filter layer so it sits inside my "Sky Denoise" layer. In the Denoise dialog, set Extreme to off, and increase Chrominance slider. This should clear out ugly red, green, and blue colour speckles from dark space without softening star details.

3.Smooth Luminance Noise: Luminance Grain.

In the same Denoise dialog, I could slowly raise the Luminance slider and keep Luminance Detail around 50% to ensure fine stars don't get erased or smudged into blobs.

4.Protect Sharp Stars with Frequency Separation: Star Preservation.

If fine stars still lose sharp contrast – that is a potential issue - Filters > Frequency Separation... setting the radius to 2 – should help. Apply noise reduction only to the High Frequency or Low Frequency layer as needed (I am still learning what these layers are), or invert my Denoise mask and paint noise reduction onto the black space between stars using a soft brush. Again, this is new learning for me.

Verification: Zoom to 100% on a dark patch of space away from the Milky Way core. Toggle the Denoise filter on and off to verify that colour grain disappears while the smallest stars remain crisp pinpoint dots.

 

As always, I will put the new image here and we will be able to do a direct comparison to see whether my proposed work flow above has worked.

Critique of photo of picnic bench under milky way at wembury point on south west coastal footpath

 Self‑Evaluation: A Closer Look at the Bench‑Under‑the‑Milky‑Way Image

Every now and then, it’s worth turning the lens back on ourselves. So, let’s take my recent 'bench under milky way' photo  and give it a proper, honest critique - the kind you’d give a friend over a mug of tea after a long night shoot.

Before we do the evaluation - if you want to read about my milky way summer season - then visit https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/09/an-epic-milky-way-summer-16-nights-2000.html

Horizon & Edge Blending

The horizon is level - always a relief, given my failing eyesight - but there’s a soft, slightly un‑natural halo where the sea meets the sky, especially just left of the central rock formation. It’s the visual equivalent of a poorly ironed shirt: most of it looks fine, but one crease catches the eye every time.

Likely culprit: A masking boundary that wasn’t quite seamless. 

Lesson learned: I need to refine those horizon masks so the transition feels natural rather than “pasted”.

Foreground Lighting & Atmosphere

The lantern’s warm glow around the bench works beautifully, in my opinion - casting gentle patches of light across the grass. The head‑torch illumination on the bench itself also feels balanced and intentional.

But here’s the contrast:

The sky is bursting with a vibrant, saturated Milky Way core  - rich magentas and pinks - while the ocean and cliff face sit in much cooler, darker tones. Night foregrounds should be subdued, but the sky’s intensity feels slightly disconnected from the moody sea beneath it.

Corrective action: Dial back magenta saturation a touch, or lift the ocean with a subtle cool ambient wash. Either approach would help the sky and sea feel like they belong in the same nocturnal world.

Composition & Narrative Intent

My aim was simple: a quiet moment at a picnic bench beneath the cosmos, capturing the feeling of pausing along the South West Coast Path to breathe in the night.

The diagonal Milky Way anchors the right side of the frame, balancing my figure seated at the bench. The island acts as a mid‑ground waypoint - a visual stepping stone between the human element and the vast sky above. Ideally, the viewer’s eye follows the same sight line I had on the night: bench → sea → stars.

Overall: I think the human‑scale storytelling works. The scene feels contemplative and grounded. With a cleaner horizon blend and slightly softened sky colouration, the image could step up a level.

So, What do you think?

Have I judged this fairly? Missed anything glaring? Drop your thoughts in the comments — constructive critique is always welcome. We learn faster when we learn together.

Next Steps (The Practical Fix‑List)

Refining the Horizon Seam

To tidy up that ocean/sky boundary in Affinity Photo v1, I need to:

• Re‑select either the ocean or sky area → Refine → gently push the ramp slider outward
• Add a 1–2 px feather for smoother blending
• Use a luminosity selection on a layer mask to prevent dark water bleeding into the brighter sky – don’t know how to do this yet
• On the sky layer, add a layer mask
• With a soft round brush, colour black, opacity/flow around 20%, paint gently over the horizon seam
• This gradually blends the transition instead of creating a hard edge

Knowing what to do is one thing… knowing how to do it without muttering at the screen is another entirely.

 

Colour & Contrast Corrections

To harmonise sky and foreground tones:

Sky Colour

• Add an HSL adjustment layer above the sky
• Switch the colour wheel from Master → Magenta/Red
• Reduce saturation by ~15% to tame the magenta cast

Foreground Ambient Lift

• Add a Curves adjustment above the foreground layer
• Raise midtones slightly
• Lift shadows just a touch to match the sky’s ambient feel

Split Toning for Cohesion

• Apply a Split Tone adjustment to the image stack
• Set shadow tones to a deeper blue (low saturation: 5–10%)
• This ties the cool sea to the night sky, creating a unified palette

Astrophotography at Wembury Point, Devon: Milky Way Magic and a Midnight Fire Scare

 To learn more about my summer time marathon Milky way shoot visit: https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/09/an-epic-milky-way-summer-16-nights-2000.html

Milky Way Selfies at Wembury Point — Fires, Firefighters and a Very Guilty Use Of The White Headtorch

Wembury Point - a beautiful National Trust‑managed stretch of coastline just east of Plymouth - is one of my favourite “quick escape” astrophotography haunts. The car park may be small, but the views certainly aren’t: sweeping panoramas across Wembury Bay, with the Great Mewstone island rising like a dark, brooding whale, and the mouth of the River Yealm incising away inland into the night. Time your visit right, using Photopills for the Milky Way’s position, and the whole scene transforms into a natural amphitheatre for night sky photography.

 This summer I headed out for two compositions - both selfies, which is unusual for me. Nobody needs a photo of me under the Milky Way. Not even my mother. The only exception? Me.

A selfie, for me, is a memory anchor. A way of ‘freeze-framing’  the feeling of standing alone beneath the cosmos - warm air, faint breeze, no moon, and the Milky Way arcing overhead like someone has dusted sparkly icing sugar across a black velvet tablecloth. The smell of gorse and wild daisies drifting up the slopes. The salty tang air from waves breaking 100 feet below. Badgers rustling along the fenceline, snuffling with joyous enthusiasm, as they discover a gourmet worm buffet.

Cosmic reflections at Wembury Point 

An Unexpected Plot Twist

On the night I captured the “bench selfie”, I’d already bumped into the area ranger striding up the hill to close and padlock the gate. Odd, I thought, as unusually, it had been wide open when I arrived.

“Wildfires across the headland,” he sighed. “No idea how they started. Fire and Rescue have been here for two days damping it down. They’ve only just left.”

We chatted about drought, fire risks, and the general human inability to behave sensibly around dry vegetation. He lamented the removal of the cows - apparently their grazing kept the gorse in check and helped wildflowers thrive. After a brief exchange about astrophotography, he clunked the gate shut, snapped the padlock, and left me to my own devices.

For the next hour, everything went beautifully. I worked through foreground compositions, collected tracked shots at different ISO and shutter speeds, and ignored the large lorry with blazing headlights up in the car park. I’ve seen farm vehicles up there at night before, so I wasn’t concerned.

“You know anything about the fire then, sir?”

My wife almost collected on my life insurance!

Two jacketless firefighters had materialised behind me like ghosts, instantly apologetic when they realised they’d scared the bejesus right out of me.

“Sorry to interrupt your astro session, sir. We’ve had a report the fire has flared up again. We’re trying to locate the flames, but… nothing so far.”

It was 01:50. I genuinely felt for them - three days on the headland, shoulders slumped with exhaustion, yet still professional and determined. We discussed the lack of smoke, crackling, or smell. I’d been there long enough to know if anything was burning. They decided to open the gates, drive across the headland, and walk the entire area again.

Off they trudged into the darkness, leaving me alone once more - grateful for people willing to face danger so the rest of us can enjoy quiet nights under the stars.

 

An hour later, a low shout drifted from the gate.

“Don’t jump, sir — it’s us again! Just updating you.”

Several people had reported a “red flickering flame” on the headland. But still no flames, no smoke, no smouldering.

And you, dear reader, already know exactly where this is going.

Some insomniac muppets in Wembury village had seen … my red headtorch.

The firefighters and I huddled together, laughing at how easily a periodic red glow could be mistaken for raging flames. But we agreed it was better people cared enough to report it. Better safe than sorry - especially on a coastline they clearly love.

As for me? I felt guilty for the rest of the night and promptly ruined my night vision by switching to the white torch. A small price to pay for not triggering another emergency response.

'Is there anyone out there?'

So, Bottom Line - Have I Actually Made Any Progress Since Starting Milky Way Landscape Photography?

As someone who’s spent 35 years in education, I’ve always believed in meaningful self‑evaluation. I won’t bore you with the pedagogical theory (you’re welcome), but if you want to be a lifelong learner - in astrophotography or anything else - honest reflection is your rocket fuel.

Over the decades, countless “Assessment for Learning” strategies have drifted in and out of the UK National Curriculum, like passing comets. But two ideas have always stuck with me.

The first comes from the Growth Mindset world: “We grow our own success.” I’ve always loved that. It’s a reminder that progress is built on perseverance, resilience, practice, and the willingness to try new approaches when the first few attempts fall flat on their face.

The second is a simple classroom classic: “Two Stars and a Wish.” My students swore by it - and I still use it today.

⭐ Two Stars

These are the things you’re genuinely pleased with - the areas where you’ve stepped forward in knowledge, understanding, or skill in a piece of work.

Right now, on my Learning Milky Way Landscape Photography journey, my two stars would be:

• Far better thought given to composition within the landscape. I’m finally thinking about how the Milky Way interacts with the terrain rather than just pointing the camera skyward and hoping for the best.
• Improved confidence using SIRIL’s python scripts. I’m beginning to understand what they do, why they matter, and how to use them to better effect. Baby steps, but steps nonetheless.

⭐ And My Wish…

The thing I need to improve if I’m going to keep progressing?

Simple. Selections, masking, layering and tonality in Affinity Photo.

This particular wish may take a while. Possibly a very long while. Possibly long enough for the next ice age to roll in. But that’s the joy of learning - there’s always another mountain to climb, another tool to master, another “why is this doing that?” moment to swear at.

What’s Next?

Over the coming months, I’ll share more stories from my Milky Way summer marathon - the successes, the failures, the “what on earth was I thinking?” moments, and the newly revised workflows that have helped me improve.

I’ll explain:

• What I do
• How I do it
• Why I do it
• And how it’s better than what I did before

I may also indulge in a little gentle rumination: the mental‑wellbeing benefits of stargazing along our incredible coastline, and whether a finished landscape image means different things to different people.

As always - enjoy the big skies, stay safe out there, and have fun. Keep looking up.

Steve Aka #PlymouthAstroBoy

“An Epic Milky Way Summer: 16 Nights, 2000 Photos & a New Star Tracker Under South West Skies”

“A summer of Milky Way photography across Devon, Dorset & Cornwall. New MSM Nomad tracker, coastal night shoots, lessons learned and plenty of biscuits.”

My Epic Milky Way Summer: Ten Nights, nearly 1000 photos, and, frankly, an alarming number of biscuits

Hello everyone - hope you’re all doing well. 

Some of you have noticed I’ve been MIA for a few weeks. Sorry about that. 

In my defence, I’ve been busy astrophotographing. Is that a word? Probably not, but let’s pretend it is.

This summer turned into a full‑blown Milky Way marathon: ten nights in July, six in August, and a couple more planned for September. What started as a vague idea on the cliffs at Durdle Door back in May/June somehow evolved into a personal “epic astro summer session”. Sitting above that iconic arch, watching the Milky Way lift itself over the horizon like a celestial curtain call, I realised how lucky I am to live within two hours of some of the most dramatic coastlines in the UK. And so, the plan was born:

Photograph the Milky Way across four no‑moon windows in June, July, August, and September 2026.

A New Tracker, A New Adventure

Part of the motivation came from the arrival of my new MSM Nomad Star Tracker - a tiny device that has completely changed the way I shoot. Compared to my old Star Adventurer 2i, the Nomad is like swapping an old pedal bike for an electric one. I can now arrive at a location, set up in six minutes, capture tracked sky frames and separate landscape foregrounds, and be heading to the next spot within half an hour.

It’s transformed my time management and opened up multiple‑location nights I simply couldn’t attempt before. I posted my first‑impressions review here:

https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-move-shoot-move-nomad-star-tracker.html

I’ll update that review soon with everything I’ve learned during this astro‑summer.

Why These Wild Places Matter

My time on the cliffs at Durdle Door also nudged me into thinking more deeply about why these rugged coastlines feel so good for the soul. What is it about standing alone under a sugar‑sprinkled sky, listening to the wind and waves, that feels grounding and restorative? And why do I keep gravitating toward National Trust locations?

I’ll share those reflections in a future post - it deserves its own space.

But in the meantime .......

Where I’ve Been: A Summer Under South West Skies

Devon

• Wembury Beach & Mill Café House — National Trust
• Wembury Point & Heybrook Bay — National Trust
• Dartmouth Daymark
• Bigbury‑on‑Sea & Burgh Island
• Soar Mill Lookout Station — National Trust
• Bolberry Down — National Trust

Dorset

• Durdle Door

Cornwall

• Mullion Cove — National Trust
• Cape Cornwall & Priest Cove — National Trust
• Lizard Point — National Trust
• Kynance Cove — National Trust
• Botallack Mines — National Trust
• Goonhilly Earth Station

The Aims (Nothing Too Grand or Philosophical)

Every adventure needs a rationale - even the small ones. Mine were simple:

• Capture one well‑composed, well‑edited Milky Way landscape image with a clear focal foreground. Tracked, stacked, blended  - the usual astro‑parlance.
• Get properly familiar with the quirks and benefits of the MSM Nomad tracker.
• Improve my understanding of the ISO/aperture/shutter speed relationship for both sky and foreground, especially during blue hour.
• Explore and articulate why being out under the stars feels so deeply restorative.

The Numbers Behind the Nights

• 1000+ photographs
• 40+ hours under silky‑smooth, sugar‑sprinkled, black‑velvet skies
• Countless miles driven
• Countless cups of tea brewed
• Biscuits consumed in quantities that probably require a medical disclaimer

I’ve genuinely improved my landscape composition (not hard, given my starting point). I’m learning how many frames to take, how to read a histogram without squinting like its hieroglyphics, and how ISO can be used more creatively.

I’ve also changed how I process Milky Way skies and landscapes - experimenting with Sequator, SIRIL, and Affinity Photo, mixing things up to see what emerges. Some results have been surprisingly good; others… well, let’s call them “learning opportunities”.

Over the next month or two, I’ll share everything - the wins, the mistakes, the workflow tweaks, and the inevitable misadventures. I’ll also update my Milky Way processing workflow pages.

A Little Taster

Here are two images from this summer. I hope you’ll agree they show real progress in my understanding of what makes a quality Milky Way landscape image.

"Reflecting on my place in the cosmos"

Taken at Wembury Point, South Devon

Equipment: astromodded Canon 800D with Samyang 14mm F/2 lens on a Move Shoot Move Nomad Star Tracker attached to a William Optics equatorial wedge on a Benbo Mach 3 Carbon Fibre Tripod

The photo is a tracked stacked blend comprising:

foreground shot at F/4.5  Iso 200 and 90" shutter speed with light painting for 5" towards end

sky: F/2.8 Iso 1600 @90" x 12

Stacked in Affinity photo, edited in Siril, finished in affinity photo 

"Just after sunset"

Taken at Wheal Owles, Botallack, far west Cornwall - tin mining country

Equipment: astromodded Canon 800D with Samyang 14mm F/2 lens on a Move Shoot Move Nomad Star Tracker attached to a William Optics equatorial wedge on a Benbo Mach 3 Carbon Fibre Tripod

The photo is a tracked stacked blend comprising:

foreground shot at F/4.5  Iso 200 and 60" shutter speed with light painting for 5" towards end

sky: F/2.8 Iso 3200 60" x 16

Stacked in Affinity photo, edited in Siril, finished in affinity photo 

I am genuinely proud of both these images - they demonstrate huge progress in my understanding of the ISO-shutter-aperture relationship, improved compositional skills and my first proper attempts at light painting. They are still works in progress and no doubt I will come back to them during the winter months and try and improve them some more. They do show that finally, and yes folks I know, its been some time coming, buit yes, finally, I am beginning to understand how to use layers and masks in Affinity! 

And Finally … I Joined Instagram

Yes, really. I am no longer a luddite. I’m catching up with Generation Z - slowly, cautiously, and with the digital equivalent of stabilisers.

You can find me at:

#plymouthastroboy

If you feel like it, drop me a like, or better still, a constructive comment.

Until Next Time ....... 

Clear skies, stay safe, and never forget to look up - and sideways - to appreciate both the celestial heavens and the magnificent landscape you’re standing in.

Catch up soon, 

Steve 

aka

#Plymouthastroboy