Earth, Moon & Stars

[450d-IRL]

Hi folks!!

Been sleathly hangin' about this forum for a good while now, as you can see from my low post count!! :wink: Probably a lil over a year! Picking up tips and tricks, info, getting ideas and inspiration!
Can I say that this forum is a great source for the above. I have, and will continue to, enjoy the time I spend on this forum!

Bought myself a Canon 450D this time last year, with the intention of giving Photography a bash - always enjoyed taking pics and seemed to get decent results with a compact, with regard to composition!! So I've spent alot of time reading and learning the camera, and seem to be getting to terms with it!! Also learned a bit of post processing!

Anyways - built up the courage to post a pic and ask for some C&C!!
Photo was taken at Portmarnock Beach, looking towards Howth Head, Co. Dublin - for the Irish amongst us! :smile:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3496/3962313775_ac60f00203_o.jpg

Also, this was another edit - the other bright, star like, light is actually Juipter and some suggested I remove it as it was distracting - what do you think?? Also, some weren't too keen on the border so I removed it! :wink:
No need to pass comment on the red / pink cast as thats what I have attempted to fix on the image above.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2663/3962834230_d1f8508877_b.jpg

C & C please!
Cheers!

[Bill Boehme]

The second version is much nicer in my opinion. I think that it has much better control over the range of light so that the foreground subject has the optimum exposure wheres the exposure in the first image has the foreground subject too bright and the sky is at the mid-range of exposure.

The last time that I checked my ephemeris, Jupiter was still part of the Solar System so I would regard that comment about it being distracting as being uninformed as well as lacking useful critical content. I have been observing the conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter for several days. They were in very close proximity about five days ago. Having other Solar System objects in addition to the moon and the Earth sculpture fits perfectly with the overall theme of the composition. Too bad that Venus did not show up for the event. ;)

p.s., Regarding the frame, I like a recent comment by Robert Lay regarding frames (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=8692437&postcount=3).

[Robert_Lay]

If you guys are right about it being Jupiter, then your title is in error. Jupiter is not a star, it's a planet.

[Bill Boehme]

If you guys are right about it being Jupiter, then your title is in error. Jupiter is not a star, it's a planet.

Hmmm ... I didn't really notice the title, but the OP did know that it is a planet.

However, I did once work with a person who wanted to align an inertial platform using Jupiter as the reference. :)

[450d-IRL]

Bill, thanks for the reply - I kinda prefered the 2nd one myself too - but someone passed comment that the WB looked a little off - I also liked Jupiter in the picture - but maybe thats because I knew what it was, and the person who said it was distracting didnt! (well, a passer-by informed me it was Jupiter - I thought it was the North Star! lol) This shot was actually take on the 1st of September - didnt think it was a great one - but when I go around to doing some PP work on it - thought it had some potential!

I also understand the comment about the borders - will probably leave them borderless in future! Thanks for that Bill and Robert ;-)

Also, on the name of the post - there were some stars slightly visible in the RAW original version, but when I lowered the exposure they slipped away! I hadnt noticed they were gone!