Sunset colours over White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, December 10, 2013. Venus is at left of centre. This is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) stack of 7 exposures at 2/3 stop increments from -2 to +2 EV, processed first with ACR then with Photomatix Pro. Images taken with the 14mm Rokinon lens at f/4 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 100. While colour vibrancy has been enhanced the colours to the eye were quite vivid. The HDR technique brings out details in the dark ground while preserving the bright sky.
A panoroma of the Milky Way around Orion and Canis Major, taking in Canis Minor as well, including the dog stars Sirius (lower) and Procyon (upper left). Around Orion you can see Barnard's Loop, as well as the Horsehead Nebula area below the Belt of Orion and the Orion Nebula in the Sword of Orion. Betelgeuse is at top left of Orion, Rigel at bottom right. Several star clusters are visible at this scale including M41 below Sirius and M46 and M47 left of Sirius. This is a mosaic of 2 frames, each a stack of 4 or 5 x 4 minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 35mm lens and modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800, plus each segment also having a glow layer composed of 2 x 4 minute exposures through the Kenko Softon diffusion filter. So a total of 11 exposures for this 2-frame mosaic, stacked and stitched in Photoshop CC. Taken from Painted Pony Resort in SW New Mexico, December 7, 2013. Lots of frost this night.
Orion and Canis Major, taking in Canis Minor as well, including the dog stars Sirius (lower) and Procyon (upper left). Around Orion you can see Barnard's Loop, as well as the Horsehead Nebula area below the Belt of Orion and the Orion Nebula in the Sword of Orion. Betelgeuse is at top left of Orion, Rigel at bottom right. This is a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures with the 35mm lens at f/2.8 and modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 plus 2 x 4 minutes with the Kenko Softon diffusion filter for the star glows. Taken from Painted Pony Resort in SW New Mexico, December 7, 2013 on a cool and frosty night and part of a two-section pan of Orion ad Canis Major.
