Just realized most astro photos from the desert have this weird warm tint

I was looking through my shots from a trip to the Mojave last October and every single one has this orange glow near the horizon even though the sky was pitch black. It took me a while to figure out it was light bouncing off all that dry dirt and dust in the air. Anyone else notice this when shooting in arid places?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_sullivan3d ago

Yeah the dust does that. I get the same thing shooting in the desert southwest around sunset even when the sky looks clear. All those fine particles catch the last bit of light and scatter it like crazy. It's actually kind of neat once you know it's there but it threw me off the first time too.

paul_ramirez3d ago

Yep, same thing caught me off guard a few years ago up in the Mojave. I was shooting a Joshua tree at golden hour and the whole frame just got this milky orange glow I couldn't figure out. Tried cleaning my lens twice before I realized it was just the air. Now I actually lean into it with a polarizer sometimes, cuts that scattered light and brings the saturation back. Makes a big difference when you're trying to keep the sky deep and not washed out.

emma_wells833d agoRising Star

Sure, but is it really that big of a deal? I've shot in dusty places plenty of times and the haze just gives the photos a bit of a warm glow. I don't think most people would even notice unless you're pixel peeping at 100% crop. Seems like a pretty minor thing to get all worked up over.