The Rho Ophiuchus Complex in Ophiuchus

[Octane]

All,

Waiting for the rest of my equipment to arrive is killing me.

I haven't taken an image since November 2007.

I'm doing a Mike Sidonio: reprocess time.

Read and view here (http://members.optusnet.com.au/mrozycka/Magellan_Observatory/Magellan_Observatory_20070713_Rho_O phiuchus_Complex_R).

The difference between this and the original is subtle, but, quite stark at the same time. An example is the subtle shading and detail prevalent in the golden shroud surrounding Antares, and the dark lanes towards the middle bottom.

I look forward to reimaging this region without pesky Jupiter to haunt me with internal lens reflections.

Comments and critique welcome.

Regards,
Humayun

[iceman]

Stunning image, H. I remember this one well and have gone back to look at it many times.

Beautiful work.

[Lester]

Fantastic Humayan, the detail is so smooth, and stands out nicely.

I too am learning patience while gear arrives. All the best.

[rastis95]

Great image Humayan, Heaps of detail, if I ever get my equipment i will be dropping you a line for hints :lol:.

Cheers
Scott

[gregbradley]

A fantastic image, beautiful colours and the dust lanes are nicely contrasted.

Greg.

[RB]

A wonderful image H !
Actually I don't mind Jupiter in the shot, I think it adds a nice touch.

Just lovely.

:thumbsup:

[Craig_L]

Stunning shot Humayan.

[marc4darkskies]

That's a nice image Humayun :thumbsup: Very natural looking. I actually don't mind the glare of Jupiter either.

Cheers, Marcus

[sheeny]

Wonderful image, H! Beautiful!

Al.

[leon]

Now that is very nice indeed, :eyepop: now Humayun, surly you could find other things to do rather than tease us with images like that, maybe play with your 50mm F/1.2, hmmmmmm, :whistle: I know you have one :lol: beautiful work :thumbsup:

Leon :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

i think antares is a little distracting LOL, but then what do I know i havent imaged since Qld Astrofest and I have no idea. I am green with envy that you have data like this to play with!!

[renormalised]

Comments: exquisite!!!:eyepop::D

Critique: exquisite!!!!:eyepop::D

[suma126]

stunning shot 10/10 :thumbsup:

[Quark]

Humayun, You Rock, your work is just so masterful.

When I looked at this image I was drawn to the dark lanes, they are so well defined and almost provide a 3D effect.

This image, while stunning in detail looks natural. It looks how I would expect it to look if I could go there.

How times change for amateurs, regarding the equipment that has become available to them, but I think that there would be many other amateurs out there that would not match your work, regardless of what equipment they had.

Years ago I was seriously involved in sailing, racing off the beach catamarans, had a 5.2 Nacra. I meant and became friends with a young bloke from Adelaide who was a very good sailor. It didn't matter what he sailed, he would have been competitive sailing a bath tub.

He won state, national and world titles. You remind me of him. Regardless of the subject, be it terrestrial or deep sky you seem to have this gift that elevates what you produce to an art form.

Regards
Trevor

[strongmanmike]

Think we will call you "Hum-ay, that's a good, un" :D

Oi!..nothing wrong with reprocesses...but can't say the same thing for Mike Sidonio's though :scared:

Man, I'd love to have a go with that lens on my ProLine, FLI make a direct Nikon adapter too:

http://www.flicamera.com/fli/images/adapters/AD-6S.pdf

hint, hint :prey: :prey: :prey::poke: I'd give it back :whistle:

Actually, don't Nikkor lenses have a Nikon bayonette? But you used a Canon body..?

Mike

[Octane]

Mike,

Something about the original irked me after a while. There was a horrible colour cast in it and it seemed like it was pushed a touch too hard. I suppose my Photoshop skills have also improved in the mean time. I thought it might be worth a revisit. I would love to have another go at all my previous work, but, alas, it was lost in my ex-housemate's hard drive crash.

Thanks so much.



Lester,

Cheers, my friend. I hope you post some of your efforts once your Titan arrives. I'm very envious of your location, too! :)



Scott,

Thank you, sir. Ah, the people you should be turning towards (on here) are the likes of (in no particular order) Mike Sidonio, Peter Ward, Eddie Trimarchi, Martin Pugh, Greg Bradley, Jason Jennings, Louis Atalasidis, et. al. Their work has inspired me since I began and continues to do so. Granted, they're all CCD shooters. :)

I do look forward to the day where I can put the DSLR down and pick up a dedicated astro-CCD.



Greg,

Thank you. :)



Andrew,

I think it adds a nice touch, too. A nice touch in the form of a colour cast throughout the entire image which was a bit of a pain to remove! :) Seriously, though, it's not every year that Jupiter happens to hang in that vicinity of the sky. So, I think I have captured something a little special. Or, so I tell myself. :P

Thanks, buddy!



Craig,

Thank you!



Marc,

Thank you. That was the approach I was after; it's the approach I take in all my astrophotography. Glad it's come off that way.



Al,

Thank you, kindest sir!



Leon,

Cheers, sir. :) Who knows, one of these days (once the equipment arrives) the 50mm f/1.2L might make an astro-debut!


David,

LOL, cheeky! Now, you've bought all this equipment, including an observatory in your neighbour's backyard and a gnome on a slippery dip, why, pray tell, has there been a lack of images from you? :)



renormalised,

lol, thank you so much! :)


Shane,

Thank you! :)



Trevor,

Wow. Now, that's a compliment and-a-half. Thank you ever so much.

I'm glad the 3D effect comes through in this image. I spent quite a fair while (as my right arm and shoulder will attest to) working on that particular area to try and bring about that effect. It's subtle, but, it's there. I find that my post-processing routines have me overdoing things on purpose. I then walk away, come back a bit later, once my eyes have settled, and tone back the effect with layer opacity and masks. It's worked so far.

Cheers!



Mike,

Call me whatever you like, just don't call me late for dinner. :P

Nothing wrong with reprocesses at all! I'm starting to enjoin in that great pasttime. :P

If it was my lens to loan, I'd have it to you in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, for you, this killer lens belongs to Zane Hammond. Zane had a Nikkor to Canon adapter which made the coupling possible.

Cheers, mate!



Thank you, all, for your comments and compliments. I look forward to getting back into the swing of things once the final bits of the puzzle arrive.

Regards,
Humayun

[Garyh]

Beautiful reprocess Humayun! I remember this one as well as the LMC quiet vividly from a few years back and they have always inspired me!
:thumbsup:

[Octane]

Gaz,

Thanks, mate. I so wish I had my Large Magellanic Cloud data still available for me to play with. Oh, well. just means I'll have to reshoot it!

Your M33 is spurring me. I can't wait until next Spring/Summer. :)

Thanks, again.

Regards,
Humayun

[strongmanmike]

:scared: reshoot?...RESHOOT? :doh:dang! Oh dear..reprocessing is all the go these days Humi :shrug: You must be shattered? :sadeyes:

Mike

[Bassnut]

cop that mega star !!!!!, so magestic, love it :thumbsup:

[jase]

Tis' a great image Humayun, but feel your white balance is out. The small cluster M4 should show a brilliant white. The yellow cast over the image is dampening the other vibrant colours of the region. I commented on this image many moons ago, it is one of the finest examples I've seen of the region using a DSLR. Exceptionally well done. Subtle adjustment to the balance would top this off.

[Jen]

:eyepop:
excellent work Humayun :thumbsup::thumbsup: thats an interesting area so much to look at ;) cant wait to see more pics from you in the future when you finally get the rest of your gear cheers :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
:D

[Octane]

Mike,

I think reprocessing should be on everyone's agenda. What finer way is there to improve one's technique and learn the software tools at our disposal? :) I, for one, will be indulging more in this new favourite pasttime as my portfolio is rebuilt. And, yes, I am shattered.



Fred,

Thanks, mate. Love your work, too. :)



Jase,

Since I reprocessed this image, I calibrated my monitor for the first time, and, I can now see how bad this image looks. I remember you mentioned the cast the last time, and, it is still there, dang! I will reprocess it once more and be really brutal with the white balance. We'll see how it turns out. :) Thank you for the kind words and the critique!



Jen,

Thank you! it is indeed an interesting area. I like to refer to it as the most beautiful part of the sky. I will re-image this one this season and see if I can do it some more justice.



Thanks, all.

Regards,
Humayun

[jase]

Humayun,
No need to be brutal. You can achieve the task in a few clicks within MaximDL using the white balance tool. I gave it a whirl on your image after using the line tool to analyse the colour shift. You'll notice the rich blue stars come through with the cast gone. Quite spectacular.

[gregbradley]

I don't think that cluster should be a brilliant white as it is still overcast with gas from Antares but it is almost white.

Not saying mine has perfect colour balance but I was happy with it:

http://www.pbase.com/gregbradley/image/93945265

Greg.

[multiweb]

wow! great pic. lovely colors and contrast. :thumbsup: