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Lunar Totality and Starfield
1st PlaceLunar Totality and Starfield
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Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Total Eclipse of the Moon (Standard Editing)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Canon EOS-7D Mark II
Location: Westport, CT
Date: Jan 21, 2019
Aperture: f/7
ISO: 400
Shutter: 5 seconds
Galleries: Astrophotography
Date Uploaded: Jan 21, 2019

 I wasn't sure the eclipse would even be visible in my area, but a winter storm cleared out just in time... leaving behind icy roads and wind chills below -10˚F. I hauled my Astro-Tech 115EDT telescope out to the local observatory and setup on the frozen tundra for three hours. There were still large clouds passing through, but enough breaks for photography.

This is a single RAW photo processed three times– once normally, a darker version to recover highlight detail, and a much brighter version to bring out the background stars. The surface detail was sharpened with a combination of RAW dehaze and clarity, a duplicate layer converted to grayscale in NIK Silver Efex (High Structure Harsh) and set to luminance at 40% opacity, and a High Pass layer in overlay mode. I boosted the vibrance and maybe a touch of saturation, then rotated the image 90˚ to correct the angle.

WOW! Nice to finally displace some old photos on my profile, and this is the third entry out of my last four to do that. To address a couple of the comments– yes, a little more space around the moon would have been nice, but rotating the image limited me to the short side of the frame. Also, yes, the moon is very red, but that's the actual color with a custom white balance set for accuracy. THIS is what the original looked like straight out of the camera without any edits.

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 28
Avg (all users): 7.6071
Avg (participants): 7.2500
Avg (non-participants): 7.7500
Views since voting: 2132
Views during voting: 152
Votes: 56
Comments: 11
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Canon EOS R6
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM
 01/31/2019 04:19:46 AM
You are the master of the solar system! Congrats. This is a stunning photograph!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark IV
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 USM
 01/29/2019 07:54:24 PM
Shannon! THIS is exquisite!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7100
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 01/29/2019 06:34:23 PM
HOLY. CRAP. That is all.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon Canon 1d x Mark II
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 FG HSM Art
 01/29/2019 02:25:29 AM
Yes I was right, you were the blue!

Congrats on a super moon score!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a7R III
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM
 01/29/2019 01:21:47 AM
Congratulations on the Blue - well deserved. And thank you for your generosity in sharing not just your setup but also your editing process.

Message edited by author 2019-01-29 03:21:21.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm X-T30
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 01/29/2019 12:52:53 AM
Great job! Congratulations on the ribbon, the great score, and your streak this being the 8th ribbon in a row!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/27/2019 03:12:44 PM
My favorite in this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a7R III
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM
 01/27/2019 05:26:27 AM
I think I would prefer this with a bit more space around the moon, but nonetheless, in my top two, and a very fine entry. Bumping. Coming back for another view and bumping again - my pick for Blue. The level of detail and identifiable features is really impressive. I still would have liked a little more space, and it does seem just a tad over-saturated, but a thoroughly interesting entry.

One thing that always amazes me, although I know it and it is quite obvious, is the different view we get from differing latitudes. For us, Tycho is closer to SW rather than S.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon Canon 1d x Mark II
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 FG HSM Art
 01/26/2019 09:42:11 PM
Great Scott! Amazing close up! This is the red, well looks like the blue now because someone got DQ!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS R5
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM
 01/25/2019 08:14:37 AM
My choice for the Blue. One heck of a telephoto lens! Perfect exposure, color, sharpness, size and timing. I like that you can see the stars and there is essentially no noise to be seen. One more element would have made this picture unique.... if you had captured the meteor collision on the surface that was reported in the scientific journals during the eclipse! Is this you Shannon?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z8
Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8
 01/22/2019 05:58:14 PM
VERY red on my phone! Maybe a bit too much, but the detail is great so you still get a great score. My 2nd favorite image in the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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