Venus and the Crescent Moon Conjunction at Terrigal - 17th Sep

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi all

Back on the 17th September 2009, there was a lovely dawn conjunction of Venus and the Crescent Moon. I woke up early and was greeted to some beautiful clear skies, so I headed out to Terrigal to capture the pairing.

The data has been sitting on my hard drive for almost 3 months waiting to be processed, but I finally managed to find some time to finish them off. And I’m glad I did – I’m happy with how they turned out.

All images were taken with my Canon 20D and Sigma 17-70mm lens, on a fixed tripod. Most images are 3-exposure bracketed shots, tone-mapped (HDR) using Photomatix, and processed using Photoshop CS2.

For larger (1200px wide) images, click on the images in my blog post:
Venus and the Crescent Moon Conjunction at Terrigal

Thanks for looking.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Superb work Mike. Colors make it look almost looks like two tone fantasy illustrations. My fav is #6 followed very closely by #5. Well done again. Inspirational stuff.

[h0ughy (David)]

i see another entry there Mike for next year, great shots mate

[Dennis]

A lovely portfolio Mike – I love these wide field photos, they are very inspirational, displaying the connection between our planet and the celestial sphere above.

Cheers

Dennis

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Top shots Mike.
Even see some of them on facebook.
Cheers Kev.

[Quark (Trevor)]

Brilliant set of images Mike,

Love the colours of the sunset and the most dramatic contrasts between the rocks, ocean and sunset.

Light and shade is what it is all about and you have used these factors to great effect. The visual impact of these images seems almost sensual.

Masterly work indeed.
Regards
Trevor

[Troy]

Lovely set of pictures Mike
Been missing some of your planetary images
Did you find what was wrong with your mount?

[iceman (Mike)]

Thanks guys - I really appreciate your comments. It means a lot when I know my images can bring out some emotions in people.

Originally Posted by Troy

Lovely set of pictures Mike
Been missing some of your planetary images
Did you find what was wrong with your mount?

Thanks Troy - motivation is the only thing stopping me from planetary imaging at the moment. I haven't had the scope out for about 3 months now

I don't think anything is wrong with my mount in the end - just a continuing run of bad seeing this year (which certainly contributed to the low motivation).

[Garyh]

Beautiful images Mike!
The second last one is superb! I reckon David M would love that one!
cheers

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

What a great series Mike. I utterly adore the colour. The setting is phenomenal and the movement of crashing waves adds to the mood. Very well done!

[RB (Andrew)]

Excellent work Mike !!
Agree we the others, the colours are gorgeous mate.
Lovely work as always.

[slippo74 (Cristiano)]

That's beautiful Mike...

[Jeffkop (Jeff)]

Just moved house Mike and am back online and noticed this great collection of pictures. As usual, all the hallmarks of an accomplished photographer ... Well done

[iceman (Mike)]

Originally Posted by Garyh

Beautiful images Mike!
The second last one is superb! I reckon David M would love that one!
cheers

Thanks Gary. The problem with any set like this that I do, is choosing a favourite or a standout Everyone has a different opinion

Originally Posted by Omaroo

What a great series Mike. I utterly adore the colour. The setting is phenomenal and the movement of crashing waves adds to the mood. Very well done!

Thanks Chris, it really was a beautiful morning to be out amongst it.

Originally Posted by RB

Excellent work Mike !!
Agree we the others, the colours are gorgeous mate.
Lovely work as always.

Thanks RB, the 20D is a great camera. Luckily for most of these I had a fairly wide open aperture. Some of my later shots with a slower aperture show up so much dust on the sensor. The clone tool has had to go into overdrive!

Originally Posted by slippo74

That's beautiful Mike...

Many thanks!

Originally Posted by Jeffkop

Just moved house Mike and am back online and noticed this great collection of pictures. As usual, all the hallmarks of an accomplished photographer ... Well done

Thanks Jeff, appreciate your comments. It feels like ages since I've been able to do any worthwhile photography - or even get a chance to process old photos!

Thanks again.