Barrenjoey Lighthouse + Milky Way

[jonathandael]

So it's been 3 years since my last post...
A lot has happened during that time (tried other hobbies, had a baby, etc), but it never stopped my fascination for taking photos of the cosmos. Last saturday I got the opportunity to go with some of my friends to shoot the night sky at Barrenjoey Lighthouse in Palm Beach.

I didn't mind the cold as I was too excited to take my first astro shot after 3 years.

Shooting details:
Nikon D700 + Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 DX @ 16mm f/2.8 30secs ISO 1600
Panoramic portrait shot x 5 stitched and processed in Photoshop.

[iceman (Mike)]

Excellent image, and welcome back!

Looks like a great spot! Is it hard to get to? What's the light pollution like?

[jonathandael]

Thanks, Mike! From the end of the carpark, it's about 6-8 mins walk along the west shoreline (use hiking boots and be prepared for some water splashes on your shoes when it's high tide where it almost reaches the bushes). Once you reach the base, it's another 15-20min climb. Bring a torch to light your way up the rocky steps. You can also use the torch to light paint the lighthouse and the surrounding foreground.

Light pollution is awful on the right side as you can see, which is coming from the suburb of Palm Beach. I've toned it down in photoshop to control the highlights a bit.

If I were to shoot it again, I think it would be better to do it tonight since it's a new moon.

[rogerg (Roger)]

Nice shot! I like the balance of lighting you have, and the level of contrast chosen for the sky.

[schmikko (Michael)]

Great shot. Light house nicely exposed in front of the milky way.

[acropolite (Phil)]

Lovely work, nicely processed and not over done like most of the nightscapes I see.

[alpharipper (Andrew)]

Stunning image, well done. Its funny was going out last night to try for a lighthouse pic with sky. I didn't get out but will be trying to get some over the next few nights, you have inspired me to do so even more. Thank you.

[jonathandael]

Thanks guys... that's one advantage of working with RAW files for beginners like me which is what I'm more familiar with. Lots of information in a single file to be able to adjust to taste without stacking (to a certain extent).

Still saving up for a good motorised mount to be able to track the sky more effectively. Was looking at the Astrotrac TT320X-AG to start me with. Though I'm reading reviews here that it's difficult to align for us southeners.

[ourkind (Carlos)]

Great shot!

[Antu]

Very nice panorama indeed !

[DavidTrap (David)]

That's nice!

DT

[Octane (Humayun)]

Haha, I did the same thing a few weeks ago, except it was a three-quarter Moon, or so.

The walk up there nearly killed me.

H

[Ross G]

Beautiful photo Jonathan.


Ross.