STARLIT LANDSCAPES

From camera gear to composition, camera settings and post-processing, many elements go into successful images that reveal the details of the landscape beneath a starry sky. In this article, we’ll focus on the basic technique of combining foreground and sky exposures into a single image with sharp stars. I prefer to use only exposures that I captured in the same place on the same night without moving the camera. Let’s start by looking at a finished photo (Figure 1) and break down the separate exposures that went into creating it.

Separate Sky & Foreground Exposures

This image captures the Milky Way rising over a rocky beach on the coast of Maine. The final composite consists of separate sky and foreground exposures that were blended in Photoshop. Why do we need separate exposures? Why can’t we just take a single exposure of the scene and call it