Milky Way White Sands Dunes, White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Seeing double

This striking photo of starry skies over the sands of Western Australia is actually two photos. The image was composed via a technique called exposure blending: The lower, terrestrial half of the image was taken at twilight, capturing enough light to reveal the dunes' fine details. The upper half was taken well after dusk, once the Milky Way attained enough light intensity for a crisp, clear snap. Finally, the two images were combined digitally. Would traditionalists call this cheating? Maybe some, but keep in mind that similar composites have been achieved in darkrooms since the 1850s.