MK3L9065 Geese in flight across moon.CR2
12/02/09 7:473 AM - Tualatin River Wildlife Refuge, Sherwood, OR
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
Wimberley II on Gitzo 3541LS
Manual Exposure, AF on central sensor
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 1600
Evaluative Metering
Image cropped to 25% of original for composition.
I was working on another flock of geese flying over a treeline when I caught sight of these crossing the moon. Without enough time to fully readjust exposure, I undercompensated for the brightness of the moon, resulting in major overexposure. I reduced the brightness 2 stops and boosted the contrast in PP to reveal this image. I also gave it a pass of NR with Dfine 2.0.
Despite the need for this salvage operation, I like the resulting image, softness and all, for the way the curve in the flock echoes the curve of the moon and appears to be flowing off the moon. Part of the softness of the moon was the unavoidable result of refraction through turbulent air of varying densities. Since the AF locked on the moon, I got the "benefit" of focus on moon's inherently soft image, while compromising the focus on the geese. Ironically, by overexposing, I squandered 2 stops of increased DOF, which might have sharpened the geese a bit. All that said, for me, form and mood are the point of this image. But then, it's easier to add blur in PP than to remove it.o:Do
Anyone else have thoughts on doing moon shots like this?
I'm hoping to give this another go on the upcoming 31 Dec "blue moon", if conditions permit (so far, the forecast here isn't very promising). These opportunities really do only come once in a blue moon, if you're fortunate.
Wow, I really like the mood of this. Love the color of the moon and as you ready mentioned, how the flock formation echo the curve of the moon. Seem like you didn't clip any whites in the overexposure which was a good thing. With digital many people like to push the histogram to the right since most of the tonal data are there, plus it also help with noise. Just wish that the second bird from the left didn't get merge with the wing of the one below it. Hope you get a chance again during blue moon.
Hi Craig,
I like the mood and overall feel in this image and capture. I too wish that the two birds did not merge...:eek::D I look forward to your next one...:cool:
Flight across the Moon
3 AM - Tualatin River Wildlife Refuge, Sherwood, OR
