Brad Ashbrook
October 2026 - Chiefland Milky Way
About the Image(s)
This was photographed the same night as the meteors, but before they started flying across the sky. When I arrived, there were quite a few clouds near the Milky Way which made for an interesting composition. This was photographed with my OM-1 MK2 and 7-14 f2.8, exposure time was 13 seconds to avoid star movement, 5000 ISO at f2.8. The image was processed with DxO PhotoLab 9 with a little help with their wonderful noise reduction technology. There were several adjustments to the raw file and then opened in Affinity Photo for the final edits. There as some cropping and annoying lights on the field which were removed.
9 comments posted
Brad,
Shooting the MW is always thrilling to me as a guy back east who never sees it! I like the concept of using the clouds to contrast with the MW. I think I might be tempted to get rid of that one cloud at the base of the MW. I also might clone out the objects in the foreground. Posted: 10/16/2026 21:05:39
Shooting the MW is always thrilling to me as a guy back east who never sees it! I like the concept of using the clouds to contrast with the MW. I think I might be tempted to get rid of that one cloud at the base of the MW. I also might clone out the objects in the foreground. Posted: 10/16/2026 21:05:39
That cloud would pretty tough and still look natural since the MW extends behind it. I cleaned up some of the foreground, always a question of how much in these types of photos. Posted: 10/16/2026 21:14:08
I hear you. Getting rid of that cloud would be tough. Another thought is to darken the sunset on the left. As the brightest thing in the image it draws my eye away from the me and the clouds Posted: 10/17/2026 21:05:37
Very interesting photo. MW photos that I have seen in the past are with a clean cloudless sky. I like the clouds in this photo. It is something different. I'm not sure what to say about the foreground. I prefer seeing a foreground in MW photos, but what little I can see in this one does not appear to be all that interesting so keeping it subdued like this is probably best. As to the sunset, you could crop in from the left to remove it. Just be sure to leave as much of the clouds as you could :-) Thanks for sharing with us. Posted: 10/23/2026 16:10:10
The yellow part of the sky is not the sunset, it is light pollution from quite a far away, which I find interesting. Posted: 10/23/2026 16:28:37
I really like this photo. I am drawn to the contrast between the Milky Way and the clouds. I did not really notice the foreground at first but I really like the its juxtaposition within the image once I studied it. I find it fascinating that in the lower left corner that is light pollution, it definitely adds interest. There is a lot to focus on in this image and I think it works well together. Posted: 10/23/2026 18:37:45
Morrie Carter
This is an interesting image and photo of the MW. THe clouds really add to the interest of the photo. The sky parted just a the right time for the MW to show up. I find the bright light on the left side a distraction and my eye want to travel to that spot. Maybe there is a way to tone that part down or corp it out. Posted: 10/25/2026 21:15:09
I like the combination of the glow( light pollution above the tree line on the left,the texture of the clouds,and the position of the Milky Way.I found the vehicle on the left and play structure to be a bit distracting.Could you selectively underexpose the bank of trees to create a more unobstructed foreground.Just not sure of the process.
Posted: 10/26/2026 06:46:47
Posted: 10/26/2026 06:46:47
I could've taken a separate exposure for the foreground to lighten up those trees and blend them during post processing. This process happens a lot if you have an interesting foreground such as a nice pretty rock formation out west instead of good old boring trees here in Florida. Plus these trees are at a location that provides a roughly Bortle 3 lighting condition. Posted: 10/26/2026 15:42:00