orionid

Last Night

So, I went out last night in search of star trails with Geminids and a cool old dead tree in the foreground. Sky was clear, except a light haze to the east, and the moon was still below the horizon. A last-minute check of weather.com's hour-by-hour showed clear skies until 8 AM.


Test Frame by Orionid, on Flickr

I set up with a composition I liked, fired some test frames, set the trigger and walked away.

Then, 90 minutes later, I came back outside to fetch the camera. The sky looked like Hurricane Irene all over again, just without the rain. This is straight from the camera:


Fark You, Weather Channel by Orionid, on Flickr

Fortunately, I know a little processing-fu, so although not eligible for my weekly farktography contest, I was able to keep it from being a total wash. Attempt number one: Adobe PS CS4 with Camera Raw and Topaz Adjust 4.0


Recovered via TopazAdjust 4.0 and Photoshop CS4 by Orionid, on Flickr

My thought: Meh. Neat, but meh.

Attempt number two: Psuedo-HDR processing with Photomatix Pro


Recovered via HDR/Tonemapping by Orionid, on Flickr

This? Although not at all what I was going for, I call it an unexpected success.