Posts Made By: Jeff Hapeman

Larry,

I think you did a great job on the color and the image acquisition. Let me make a suggestion, however. You are clipping the left side of your histogram. You can see this here, where I am looking at the levels in PS for your whole image:

http://www.pbase.com/jhapeman/image/37254118.jpg

Note that the black curve that defines all of your data is bunched up against the left side, and chopped off.

If I select the just the middle of the nebula, it is fine:

http://www.pbase.com/jhapeman/image/37254120.jpg

A clipped histogram means that you are throwing away data; on the left side, it is the faintest data. In your case, with such a long exposure, you probably lost some faint outer halo of M27 that I bet you captured. It also makes the sky unnaturally jet black.

I hope you take this as a helpful comment; you are doing great here, and it is easy to clip the histogram in processing (especially if you mess with the brightness or contrast settings, rather than using levels or curves to adjust the image).

Jeff

Outstanding image, Chuck!

Jeff

It is always gratifying to share an image others enjoy--it's what makes the hard work worthwhile!

Jeff

Very cool. What are the specifiscs: exposure times, camera, scope, etc.

Jeff

LCD's have caught up with CRT's in some areas and beat them in others. If you research the web, you will learn more. The trouble with LCD's is there is still a great variation in quality by brand name; you need to do your research, and expect to pay much more for the LCD.

LCD: Superior sharpness at native resolution (not even close), much better at holding color (CRT's drift over time, often substantially), lower energy use, much much smaller
CRT: Cheaper, can have better contrast and better color reproduction

You can now buy an LCD that matches even the best CRT's in color and contrast, and beats the best CRT's in sharpness...but you will pay a lot. If you hang out on the professional photography forums you will see that most are not using high-quality LCDs.

I personally use an Apply 23" HD Cinema Display; it has outstanding color, contrast and sharpness, and also looks cool 8) . One things a few people mentioned is gaming; if you do a lot of gaming, you need to get an LCD with a rapid response time (low latency) to prevent image smearing.

Jeff

Those are some lovely ducks. I have tried many times to see Harlequin Ducks, but I have always struck out.

Jeff

Kurt,

What you are missing is broadband 8O . I can only get dial-up at my home up north and it just kills me...OK, now they offer satellite, but it is too pricey when I am only here every other weekend.

Seriously, if you can get broadband, go for it. Most of the time, when you add up the costs of dial-up, second phone line, and per-minute telco charges, you are better off going broadband, regardless of the speed.

Jeff

And here is his better half--or someone's--it was a large flock.

Jeff

Very nice, Ken, and welcome. Looks like you are off to a great start.

Jeff

Starlings have iridescent plumage that is especially noticeable right after they molt. The whitish tips on this guy indicate that he/she has just molted. Based on the light angle in the shot, that is just an iridescent reflection from the feathers.

Sharp eyes to see it!

Jeff