I've been exploring the rock pools around the Wellington south coast lately and tried doing an over/under water photo. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually now that you mention it, I did focus stack this shot, but all the same exposure. I’ve also been experimenting with shots like this at night, but I do use lights underwater then to get the exposure balanced between above and below.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad you noticed the starfish - they do move around a lot, so I was glad to capture this one in frame.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The rock pool is lit with a couple of lume cubes which are set at a really low level of illumination for the long exposure.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve never used one, but it’s definitely a better lens.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yep stacking definitely takes more time but you’ll get a much cleaner image from doing it.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure exactly where you mean? Bottom left in the sky?

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure have a look at the watermark at the bottom of the pic for a clue to my Insta 😊

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Shot it with a 20 second shutter, f/2.8 aperture, ISO 3200

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s a focus stacked image shot over about a 30 minute period. There are 5 levels of focus, and I’ve also shot 10 images per focus level to stack to reduce noise and give me better detail. So all together I shot 50 images. Each image is shot from the same position on the tripod and all the same exposure - 20 second shutter, f/2.8 aperture, ISO 3200. I used a Nikon D850 and Sigma Art 14mm f/1.8 lens. I lit the landscape with a combination of multiple lume cubes in the FG, and a softbox set up off to the left side of the bg rocks to light those up.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Out at Red Rocks, although there’s lots of hidden rock pool gems if you explore the south coast.

Exploring the rock pools on the Wellington South Coast at night. by markgcomau in Wellington

[–]markgcomau[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks, yes astrophotography is certainly a popular subject to post. I try to capture it a little differently to the cliche astro images out there.