[LRflex] Yosemite Moonbow
- From: "Aram Langhans" <leica_r8@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "lug" <lug@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Leica Reflex" <LeicaReflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2014 07:12:58 -0700
I had photographed the upper falls moonbow a few years ago, so decided to try
something new and start at the lower falls. Hiked out to the bridge at night
to find a small group of photographers. I was 1 day early, and did so on
purpose because I had heard it gets crowded out there on full moon day, even
though for all practical purposes you could never tell the difference.
Besides, you don't have to stay up as late a day or two before.
This was actually the last shot I took as I had to climb out on some rocks (in
the dark) and had not wanted to interfere with the few serious photographers
that had been there.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/moonbow+lower+falls-0526.jpg.html
A little closer view:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/moonbow+lower+falls-0524.jpg.html
However, I find that perhaps one could think these were taken during the day
and just faked to look a bit darker. So, I think it is important to include
some sky so you can see it really is night.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/moonbow+lower+falls-0534.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/moonbow+lower+falls-0525.jpg.html
What do you like? More or less sky? Or maybe you like no sky?
Interesting side note. Quite a few non-photographers had wandered out to the
bridge after hearing of the moonbow, just to have a look. They, of course,
could not really see anything but a smear of white light. They were
inquisitive, and always being the science teacher, I showed them my photos and
told them that the light was too dim for most people to see any color there at
all. Looks rather plane with the naked eye, but the camera does not have that
limitation. Many whipped out there cellphones, but were not successful in
photographing the event. Then there were the flash crew, but I won't comment
further on them.
On the night of the full moon we went to Cook's Meadow for the upper falls. It
was not a good year. Not that much water, so not that much spray, and also,
the angle of the moon this month must have been pretty high, as the bow just
barely showed up at the very base of the upper falls.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/Upper+Falls+Moonbow-0680.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/Upper+Falls+Moonbow-0682.jpg.html
I gave up and found a tree to add a bit of compositional variation to what I
was seeing.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/s4/y/n/Upper+Falls+Moonbow-0684-Edit.jpg.html
All taken with D600 at 30 seconds, f/4.
Note - darn hard to line things up through the viewfinder. I could see well
enough to get close then modify what I wanted. With live view all you saw was
a black screen. I also tried my wife's new Olympus D M10 and could see
absolutely nothing through the EVF. I was impressed with the outcome at ISO
1200 for a 4/3 sensor. And of course, focusing to infinity has the same
problem and solution as with the D600.
On one of these nights we tried prefocusing in daylight, switching the lens to
manual focus and taping the focus ring so it would not move. I know my 24-120
has a sever focus shift when zooming and I loose infinity, but I thought my
16-36 and my 70-200 were true zooms, but found out otherwise. Good old trusty
Leica 35-70/4, as stated in previous post.
Comments welcome
Aram
Aram Langhans
(Semi) Retired (retarded?) Science Teacher
& Unemployed photographer
"The Human Genome Project has proved Darwin more right than Darwin himself
would ever have dared dream." James D. Watson
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