The "Milky Way" test of a boondocking site
I know there are many definitions of boondocking, and that is a good thing. But here is one possible test -- if you are not in a campground and you can see the Milky Way under clear skies, you are re...
Forum Discussion
After a bit of effort, I have begun to learn how to use Adobe Lightroom, which allows me to edit my shots so that they more closely resemble what we actually see. Compare this version of our Sequoia campsite to my preceding posting:
In case anyone is interested in Milky Way shots (or astrophotography in general), I have discovered that I have to shoot in "raw" format, instead of jpeg, with my digital SLR. The files are much larger, but they can be tweaked in Lightroom or Photoshop -- they are much more flexible than jpeg files. I tried using Photoshop and found it to be too daunting and difficult. Plus, I am not looking for special effects, and I do not want to alter the image (such as putting people into the shot when they weren't there). I just want my camera to "see" what my eyes are seeing. So far, I have found that Lightroom fits the bill.
I had been using Picasa, which is free, but it can only do a few things. It can't really fix imperfect white balance, and it can't fix the common problem of a dark foreground and a light background, or vice versa.
But the big trick, of course, is to boondock under dark and clear skies!
In case anyone is interested in Milky Way shots (or astrophotography in general), I have discovered that I have to shoot in "raw" format, instead of jpeg, with my digital SLR. The files are much larger, but they can be tweaked in Lightroom or Photoshop -- they are much more flexible than jpeg files. I tried using Photoshop and found it to be too daunting and difficult. Plus, I am not looking for special effects, and I do not want to alter the image (such as putting people into the shot when they weren't there). I just want my camera to "see" what my eyes are seeing. So far, I have found that Lightroom fits the bill.
I had been using Picasa, which is free, but it can only do a few things. It can't really fix imperfect white balance, and it can't fix the common problem of a dark foreground and a light background, or vice versa.
But the big trick, of course, is to boondock under dark and clear skies!
