APOD: The Milky Way from a Malibu Sea Cave (2015 Jul 07)

[jackfusco]

I can't help thinking that this is a composite of two photos.

Sure, stacked composites can look like this, but so can a single photo that has had one area adjusted separately from another area. Another thing that can cause halos is a sharpening filter. I can help you pinpoint the dissonance you feel when you look at the image. It's not just the slight edge where the cave touches the sky. Look at where the horizon meets the sky. Is it ever possible that the ocean, lacking a reflection from something like the moon, can appear brighter than the sky, even at night? Not unless the ocean itself is glowing, and I don't see any of that bioluminescent plankton here! Anyway, the horizon is often a place where things get wonky when attempting to adjust the sky or land separately from one another, because that is where they meet. A lot of care has to be taken to keep them united and cutting a straight, hard line across like this is what makes it seem disturbingly unreal. It's a kind of uncanny valley for landscape photography.

Thanks for the reply.....I agree sharpening can give you a halo (which it wouldn't need if it was shot on a tripod)....but so can masking, so you haven't convinced me.
I still think it's a composite of two photos, ....looks nice though.

Hi Paul! This is definitely a single exposure image. Unless I'm shooting star trails, I really prefer to keep everything with a single exposure. Admittedly, I'm not a master at masking when it comes to PS, so it's certainly possible it may have caused a bit of halo.

[Animal of Stone]

A magical shot. No matter how it came about.