NikonGear'23

Images => Life, the Universe & Everything Else => Topic started by: Ann on January 26, 2019, 20:00:30

Title: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Ann on January 26, 2019, 20:00:30
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-260119195830-687331.jpeg)
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: bobfriedman on January 26, 2019, 20:21:43
hmmm.. looks familiar
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Fons Baerken on January 26, 2019, 23:16:45
Fascinating, unworldly...
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Ann on January 27, 2019, 00:09:40
Thank you both for commenting.

The other-worldly landscape is on this planet: in Mowani in the Damaraland region in northern Namibia.
 
Mowani has these enormous free-standing rounded building-sized boulders and the little thatched huts in the background blend perfectly into the rocky landscape.  I originally shot it at sunrise.

The eclipsed moon was shot in New York State a few nights ago!
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: CS on January 27, 2019, 01:33:02
Thank you both for commenting.

The other-worldly landscape is on this planet: in Mowani in the Damaraland region in northern Namibia.
 
Mowani has these enormous free-standing rounded building-sized boulders and the little thatched huts in the background blend perfectly into the rocky landscape.  I originally shot it at sunrise.

The eclipsed moon was shot in New York State a few nights ago!

Sorry to say...................... it's only EXCELLENT!
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Ann on January 27, 2019, 20:56:23
Carl:
Thank you so much: I was thrilled by your most generous comment!

The Demaraland is a spectacular and indeed other-wordly place of stark and dramatic rock-formations and this landscape seemed to lend itself to doing something like this.
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: gryphon1911 on January 28, 2019, 02:35:56
Wow... maybe, some day i can get a shot that awesome.   Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Ann on January 28, 2019, 05:14:32
Andrew:

I am so pleased that you enjoyed this image.
Being able to capture usable lunar eclipse images with a hand-held camera was quite a surprise to me too.
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Andrew on January 28, 2019, 11:24:53
Incredible!!
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Kim Pilegaard on January 28, 2019, 12:34:21
Amazing photo! Could you give us some technical details?
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine — Technical Details
Post by: Ann on January 28, 2019, 21:40:42
Andrew and Kim, thank you.

Kim asked for the technical details:

The landscape was shot at sunrise in Namibia on a Nikon D3S with the 14-24mm at 16mm.

(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-280119205925-6892105.jpeg)

The lunar eclipse was shot hand-held on my D5 and the 300mm PF plus a TC 2-0. f/8 1/250 sec. ISO 51,000!

(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220119202400-6811281.jpeg)

Both shots were converted and edited in ACR and then combined in Photoshop CC 2019.
The composite involved a number of Masked Layers in Photoshop and included a Curves and Solid Color Adjustment Layers to invert and recolour the sky to make a night sky.

Keen astronomers will probably have noticed that I flipped the Moon to match its lighting with the landscape.

The top layer contains a copy of the branch which crosses the moon


(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-280119211803-690289.jpeg)

I have included a screen shot to show you my Ps Layers.

You will notice that I make much use of what I call "Merged-up" layers. Adobe calls them Stamped Visible Layers but for some reason have never publicised how to make them!

The trick in making a Merged-up Layer is to activate the upper-most Layer of the ones which you want to merge and then hit:  Cmd Option Shift E simultaneously


(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-280119205924-6882039.jpeg)


Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Bent Hjarbo on January 28, 2019, 22:18:51
Nice work :)
Thank you for the lesson on PS ;)
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Kim Pilegaard on January 28, 2019, 22:27:26
Dear Ann,

Thank your very much for the detailed description of how you made the stunning photo.

Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Seapy on January 28, 2019, 22:58:36
Brilliant Ann, thank you for explaining that.  I occasionally create images from several sources, it's tedious doing it by hand.  I will try this for myself so next time, I can have an easier ride.  The skyline detail in your image would have been a nightmare to do by hand, indeed I think some of it would have been deleted had it been mine.
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: ArthurDent on February 02, 2019, 19:24:16
Beautiful image!
Title: Re: Mowani Moonshine
Post by: Ann on February 02, 2019, 20:20:07
Thank you all so much for your extremely kind comments.

To answer Seapy's concerns with the difficulties of masking awkward shapes and complex skylines:

The trick is to make a marching-ants Selection of either the wanted, or the unwanted, parts of the image (whichever is easier, because you can easily invert your selection if required).
Once you have an active Selection, one click on the Masking button will add your Selection as a Layer Mask to any Adjustment Layer.