First Post - VLA Single Dish

[Fiferguy]

This is my first time posting a picture here, so please, be gentle.



EXIF Data:

Camera: Nikon D80
Focal length 18mm
Aperture: f/22
Shutter Speed: 1/13 sec
Flash off/didn't fire

Thanks!

[dlambert]

Very sharp - good lighting and colors. My first reaction was that I missed seeing the horizon on this shot. I know I can derive scale from the stairs on the dish, but something made me want to see this "planted".

[Fiferguy]

I had some others from that same day--a lot with the horizon in them--but it turned out that my tripod wasn't level even when the built-in spirit level said it was. And since I liked the way this one was kind of looking off into space--what the VLA really does--I liked it the best.

[wejustin]

I like the way the sky darkens towards the top. I think I would try placing a few stars in there with photoshop. In the top section.

[Fiferguy]

Thanks for the opinions guys. Any others?

[Krusty79]

Welcome to DPS. I think I would get more of a sense of the dish reaching out into space if there was more sky showing above the dish. Like dlambert, I was also curious if seeing the horizon would improve the shot.

[Fiferguy]

I wish I could've gotten the horizon, cause I agree with the comments about missing it. It would've given some reference points for the image. But I don't know how many of you have been out to the VLA before, but the only one you can get close enough to really photograph is the "visitor dish," and it's surrounded by a chest high fence and there's a lot of other stuff around it. I thought it would be distracting to the picture to include it, and I would've gotten other dishes in the shot--also something that I didn't want.

But yes, I agree that I need the horizon in the shot. Maybe they'll approve my permission to go out and take pictures in the array sometime. That would be fun.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I appreciate it.