# Everglades Florida Milky Way



## YassPro (Jun 26, 2017)

I wasn't sure I would pull this one off, since South Florida is a very polluted region. City lights can be seen from every corner of the state and during this time of the year clouds are a constant in our skies. Yet, after a few trips, I was able to find the right spot and time to get this shot. 

I'm guessing for a non-professional photographer I managed to get a pretty decent shot. 

Tools used:
Canon 80D
Sigma 10-20mm
ePhotoInc Heavy Duty tripod
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop







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## tirediron (Jun 26, 2017)

Not bad at all; wouldn't hurt to make that lamp standard go away though.


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## YassPro (Jun 26, 2017)

tirediron said:


> Not bad at all; wouldn't hurt to make that lamp standard go away though.



Thank you. And yes, you're absolutely right about that. I ended up removing it right after I posted the picture here. 






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## DGMPhotography (Jun 26, 2017)

Nice capture of the sky, if not a little out of focus.

I personally would prefer to see a bit more detail in the foreground. 

What were your settings?


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## YassPro (Jun 26, 2017)

@DGMPhotography the foreground was so ugly I had to leave it as dark as possible. The Everglades is a very plain looking area. 

I used an ISO of 1600, 30 seconds exposure with an aperture at F4.0


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## DGMPhotography (Jun 26, 2017)

YassPro said:


> @DGMPhotography the foreground was so ugly I had to leave it as dark as possible. The Everglades is a very plain looking area.
> 
> I used an ISO of 1600, 30 seconds exposure with an aperture at F4.0
> 
> ...



If that is the case, then I'd recommend cropping tighter so that almost half of your image isn't a black abyss.


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## YassPro (Jun 26, 2017)

Makes perfect sense. 


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## Pedro_lopez (Jun 27, 2017)

I'm wondering where in the Everglades that was? I can't seem to shoot the Milky Way either because of all the light pollution in Florida 


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## crimbfighter (Jun 27, 2017)

I, too, was going to suggest adjusting your crop or shooting more sky and less foreground here. Unless there is a compelling reason, compositionally, to include the foreground, thus image is about the milky way. For this image where you don't have an interesting subject for the foreground, only including enough foreground to show where the horizon is would help put the focus on the sky.

As to the milky way itself, it looks pretty good.


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## YassPro (Jun 28, 2017)

I gotta admit, the reason number one I didn't really aimed higher in the sky is because for whatever reason I couldn't move the tripod head higher, and because it was dark and the amount of mosquitos was extremely high I just ran in the car and left the camera shooting. 

At home I tried to look at anything that could have gotten on the way of the tripod and didn't see anything. I'm planning to go again for the next new moon and I'll make sure to get a better framing and possibly better location too. 


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## idcanyon (Jun 28, 2017)

YassPro said:


> ISO of 1600, 30 seconds exposure with an aperture at F4.0


Wow, this looks pretty good for shooting on an f4 lens. These are often shot at ISO 6400, 30 sec, f2.8, or even wider. Did you have to pull up the exposure several stops in post processing?
Tip: if you are into Milky Way photography then you might think about one of the wide Rokinon lenses. They are reasonably priced and really deliver on this kind of shot.



YassPro said:


> Yet, after a few trips, I was able to find the right spot and time to get this shot.


For you or anyone else interested, Darksitefinder.com is a great place to get a feel for light pollution. Remember, it isn't just about the light where you are, its also about the light in the direction you are shooting.



YassPro said:


> the foreground was so ugly I had to leave it as dark as possible.


I'd keep an eye out for a dock, especially a doc with a boat at it. Or go down to the south coast (Flamingo) and see if one of those tiny islands or a tree on the beach can make a nice silhouette. One or two palm trees could work pretty nice if you can find a way to isolate them from the rest of the forest.



YassPro said:


> and the amount of mosquitos was extremely high I just ran in the car and left the camera shooting.


That reminds me of my experience in the Everglades when I lived in Florida in about 1993. Camped at Flamingo. The ranger said "No, you should only pay for one night". He was right. We sealed up the tent and then spent the next 4 hours swatting mosquitoes before we went to sleep.


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## YassPro (Jun 29, 2017)

@idcanyon in Lightroom I raised the exposure only 2.25 over the original. Even though I was very far from the city, I still got a ridiculous amount of light pollution from Miami. I used Darksitefinder, and it's amazing how there's absolutely no 100% light pollution-free places in South Florida, which is why I had to pick the darkest available.

I'll have to check that lens, especially since I'll probably try to take pictures like this whenever I go out of town. I was wondering at some point if there was a way to get some sort of permit as a photographer to spend the night in Shark Valley Observatory Tower. I'm sure that would definitely allow for an amazing shot, although there wouldn't be much foreground in the frame.

And yes, mosquitos here are vicious. I just ordered an electronic device which I have to test. It is supposed to keep mosquitos away. If it works, I'll throw an extension from the car to where I'll set the camera and take my time adjusting proper framing.


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## fishing4sanity (Jun 29, 2017)

I like it, at the same time I'm a little embarrassed by it - I live in fairly low population area and my few attempts at MW shots have never turned out that nice. I hope to see another one of your shots soon.


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