23
Question about the recent hype for wide field Milky Way shots
Last month, I drove out to Joshua Tree to get a clear view of the sky. Everyone in my group was obsessed with getting that one perfect, super wide shot of the galactic core. I spent the whole night trying to frame it, but honestly, the final photo felt empty and boring to me. I think a tight shot of a single constellation, like Scorpius, tells a much better story with its specific stars. Has anyone else felt let down by the super wide trend?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
sam_rivera1mo ago
Joshua Tree is a great spot for it, but you're right about the framing challenge. I agree with @paigec14 that tighter shots can show more. My best result last year was a 50mm shot of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, where you can actually pick out the dark dust lanes. The wide shots are pretty, but they often lose that sense of depth.
9
paigec142mo ago
Last year I tried the same thing at Big Bend. My 14mm shot of the core just looked like a generic wallpaper. But when I zoomed in on the Lagoon Nebula at 85mm, you could actually see the texture and color. It felt like a real place, not just a smear of light. The wide trend misses those little details that make space feel huge.
1