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View Full Version : Lower Yosemite Falls under a full moon



Bruce Spell
06-19-2013, 12:20 AM
http://home.comcast.net/~bruce_spell/moonbow_corrected_4948.jpg

On advice visited Yosemite over Memorial Day weekend. Had heard that weekend was "optimal" conditions to produce a "moonbow" with the full moon on both upper and lower Yosemite falls. After arriving and inquiring with the Ansel Adams gallery staff learned the water level was pretty low this year and the conditions for the moonbow may not produce the desired effect :-(

The second night in the canyon paid off. Here's a shot of the lower falls taken just after midnight. Olympus E5, 19mm (38 mm effective FOV), f/3.2, ISO 100, 60 sec exposure. This is full frame. I also used in camera noise reduction (dark frame subtraction) for a total of 2 minutes capture time.

It was very interesting to note that the moonbow was not visible to the naked eye. Only after making the timed exposure did the bow get revealed!

Bruce

Don Railton
06-19-2013, 07:14 PM
Hi Bruce

A nice composition well captured & sharp. I find the 'moonbow' an interesting phenomena to contemplate, but it make sense to me... Its a pity that there has been a bit of movement in the trees in the foreground, nothing you can do about the wind however. My only other wish is if the image could convey that its night/ full moon somehow (and I don't know how..), because as it stands it will get mistaken for a day shot given that the stars are not that dominant... Overall you have done very well I feel..

DON

Bruce Spell
06-21-2013, 07:39 PM
Thanks for your nice comments, Don. Your points are right on the mark. I thought about not including the trees in the frame but chose to keep them for the added color and putting other elements in the shot other than the rocks. I wonder if I left the sky darker if that would convey more of a night scene? I might try a re-post along that lines and see.

Thanks again for the view and the comments!

Bruce

Diane Miller
06-24-2013, 10:21 PM
Movement in the trees doesn't bother me. I see it as a night shot, but that's knowing previously what it is. Think I would have figured it out anyway, though. The starts are awesome!

Maybe a little darker or cooler color temp would help -- hard to know without trying.

You could minimize the star trails, making them more points, by going to a higher ISO and faster SS. Double and half would probably be enough. But not a major criticism. I LOVE the color than these night exposures pull out of the sky. Bet it looked black to you!

Morkel Erasmus
07-02-2013, 04:49 PM
Nice scene here (sorry I'm late to the party).
I wonder if toning down overall luminosity will improve this? It seems a tad bright (yes, I know the moon was shining)...

Bruce Spell
07-05-2013, 12:47 PM
Diane - yes, at the time of shooting it was quite black. Like you, I am amazed at how much color the exposure has retained! What is very interesting to me is that to the naked eye the moonbow was not even visible. I had to wait for the exposure to be completed and then I could see it when reviewing the image on the LCD. Totally amazing!

Morkel - I really appreciate your comments here. I have admired your amazing shots in the Wildlife section for quite a while. Your advice here is consistent with Diane's. I guess in my initial development of this image I was trying to get every bit of brightness and color out instead of allowing it to convey the nighttime aspect of the shot. It may, in fact, be more dramatic if it is more obvious that it is a night shot. I'll definitely try something along that lines and see.

Thank you both for your input. The comments and suggestions received here at BPN are always inspiring.