Photo: Sea and stars
Taken by: Adrian Mills
Pentax K-5, Pentax 12-24mm, 67secs at f/18, ISO 100
Before.
This really is quite something. Adrian’s astro photography caught my eye immediately, as it stands out for so many reasons. The colours are just fabulous and the composition works perfectly – with that dramatic line of brightness coming down almost to meet the sea. I also love the square crop as it is unusual, but it suits the shot perfectly. It is all very exciting, and quite ‘wow’.
What doesn’t work for me quite so well is the amount of image noise in the picture. I wonder if perhaps 67secs at f/18 and ISO 100 weren’t enough, and Adrian has had to lighten the frame to bring out the detail. There are slabs of black noise in the sky that only disappear when the sky is darkened.
After.
I’ve made a version using the colour from Adrian’s original overlaid on the lower-noise Green Channel Luminance, which does make some of the noise go away, but which misses the wonderful tones and colours of Adrian’s shot.
