chasing moonbows and beams

dls

These are a few shots from a couple weeks ago during the may full moon, supposedly one of the best times for moonbows at Yosemite. The weather/cloudcover, as Ron has mentioned in his earlier posts, was not particularly ideal for the shots (it was downright weird for yosemite in May, with snow, hail, rain and anything but a clear night except my last night there). However, that did not stop us from being nightcrawlers armed with 5dm2 to shoot some light deprived and occasionally moody shots.

1. Moonbow at Upper Yosemite Falls
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2. Bridal Veil Falls backlit by the moon


3. Moonlit Upper Yosemite Falls from Sentinel Meadows


4. Morning light on granite


5. Valley lights from the Upper Yosemite Trail Observation point
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6. Upper Yosemite Falls reflected from Sentinel Meadows


7. Moonlit valley


8. Moonbow at Lower Yosemite Falls


9. Lower Yosemite Falls by Moonlight


10.


11. And regular rainbow still exist in the valley ...
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12.


13. Patience... the fog will lift...


Anyways, thanks for looking.

dlplumer

Awesome series Dan clap That first one is truly outstanding

J Allen

Awesome Stuff, thanks for sharing!

ian408

The moonbows are certainly a great subject and you can hardly go wrong in a place like Yosemite!

#5 and #11 are my two favorites.

Sexy6Chick

Between yours and Ron's shots, I am in awe and I feel very untalented right now haha. Fantastic shots - every single one of them is breath taking in my opinion. A job well done!

Fred W

These are all great. I can't decide between 1, 3, or 7 as my favorite. thumb

coscorrosa

Did you get a model-release for #13? Also - sweet comp on #9

Outstanding series, always interesting to see how two people at the same spots and times can come up with completely different shots. The cloud movement in these is great, and your moonbow shots of Upper Yosemite are a million times better than I was able to get. Nice catch on the rainbow in #11 too, it would only be improved if there was more water and more reflection in the foreground (which may be the case now after high temps in Yosemite Valley melting the snow).

coldclimb

Awesome! I've never even thought of a moonbow before. One of my favorite things to do in Yosemite at night is lay out in the meadows and count the headlamps of teams of climbers on El Cap.

Thwack

#5 is truly cool - haven't seen anything like it (which is rare to say about a Yosemite photo). Very cool!

The moonbows rock too. I tried just as the full moon as starting to wane but hit serious cloud cover (the day before was completely clear - d'oh). Well done!

cmkultradome

All of them gorgeous!! clap My favorite is #6 with the reflection.

Stephanie

eoren1

Wow - I can honestly say that I had never heard of a moonbow - let alone seen them captured so well. Just took a look at wikipedia but am still a bit lost. Would you mind sharing how to find these and shoot them? I gathered you need a full moon but saw different opinions on high vs low in the sky. Also, do these look like rainbows to the naked eye or do they only appear with a long exposure?
Thanks and great shots!
E

agunther

Very cool indeed. I like the valley lights shot best. Not only is it very colorful and luminous, but I also like the apparent harmony of man and nature.

bryanj87

Awesome series. I really dig the long exposure night shots. They are definitely not like the millions of other Yosemite shots out there. Well done.

dls

dlplumer wrote: »

Awesome series Dan clap That first one is truly outstanding

Thanks Dan! I was rather pleasantly surprised to see the second fainter moonbow in that shot. I could not spot it with the naked eye, or on the smaller camera lcd screen.

dls

J Allen wrote: »

Awesome Stuff, thanks for sharing!

Thanks! It was awesome to see in person.

dls

ian408 wrote: »

The moonbows are certainly a great subject and you can hardly go wrong in a place like Yosemite!

#5 and #11 are my two favorites.

I agree. Yosemite is a photographer's (and really anyone else's) paradise. So much to shoot and experience, and always different with each season. I lucked out with #11 (as with the majority of my shots) with the brief appearance of the rainbow, and it was sort of creepy looking over a dark precipice onto a dimly lit valley (railing or no railing) at the observation point for #5.

dls

Sexy6Chick wrote: »

Between yours and Ron's shots, I am in awe and I feel very untalented right now haha. Fantastic shots - every single one of them is breath taking in my opinion. A job well done!

Thanks Natalie. Not certain if much has to do talent in these shots as location, timing, and moony-obsession. As Ron had stated before, Yosemite just about shoots itself.

dls

Fred W wrote: »

These are all great. I can't decide between 1, 3, or 7 as my favorite. thumb

Thanks Fred, glad you liked them. Had a lot of fun taking them.

dls

coscorrosa wrote: »

Did you get a model-release for #13? Also - sweet comp on #9

Outstanding series, always interesting to see how two people at the same spots and times can come up with completely different shots. The cloud movement in these is great, and your moonbow shots of Upper Yosemite are a million times better than I was able to get. Nice catch on the rainbow in #11 too, it would only be improved if there was more water and more reflection in the foreground (which may be the case now after high temps in Yosemite Valley melting the snow).

Thanks Ron! The moonbows looks a lot better when the moon is fully out, I guess! Would have been nice if you were able to stay longer for that clear night, but Rainier was calling. #11 was a lucky find, and I had to jockey around to find the largest pool that was not obscured by a bunch of grass. Didn't occur to me to find a way to increase more water there though... Re #9, learning from the master. And regarding model-release, I am fairly certain the silhouette is pretty indistinctive and could arguably not require a release ... This other photo entitled "Photo Rock Star", might not be...

coscorrosa

dls wrote: »

Thanks Ron! The moonbows looks a lot better when the moon is fully out, I guess! Would have been nice if you were able to stay longer for that clear night, but Rainier was calling. #11 was a lucky find, and I had to jockey around to find the largest pool that was not obscured by a bunch of grass. Didn't occur to me to find a way to increase more water there though... Re #9, learning from the master. And regarding model-release, I am fairly certain the silhouette is pretty indistinctive and could arguably not require a release ... This other photo entitled "Photo Rock Star", might not be...

So that's what it looks like when I extend the other four fingers, cool!

ian408

coscorrosa wrote: »

So that's what it looks like when I extend the other four fingers, cool!

Isn't content aware fill a great feature

dls

coldclimb wrote: »

Awesome! I've never even thought of a moonbow before. One of my favorite things to do in Yosemite at night is lay out in the meadows and count the headlamps of teams of climbers on El Cap.

Only discovered moonbows myself a few years ago when I visited Yosemite. Have been trying to go back to shoot some ever since. El Cap is such an incredible piece of rock. I have always been amazed at the numbers of climbers there, and have wondered if those headlights were climbers climbing in the dark, or sleeping in bivys.

thwack wrote: »

#5 is truly cool - haven't seen anything like it (which is rare to say about a Yosemite photo). Very cool!

The moonbows rock too. I tried just as the full moon as starting to wane but hit serious cloud cover (the day before was completely clear - d'oh). Well done!

Thanks. Sometimes it is sort of intimidating to shoot or post pictures from Yosemite, given that it is arguably one of the most photographed natural parks in the world by so many much much better photographers. But regardless, you can't help but be inspired by the area. #5 happened by chance, spurred by curiosity of what the spot would look like predawn/moonlit. Too bad regarding your shoot that weekend... but it is an excuse for June, which I suspect would be better from the waterflow/spray and reflection pools standpoint. It's just that I think the full moon might fall on a weekend, making for somewhat crowded shooting conditions.

eoren1 wrote: »

Wow - I can honestly say that I had never heard of a moonbow - let alone seen them captured so well. Just took a look at wikipedia but am still a bit lost. Would you mind sharing how to find these and shoot them? I gathered you need a full moon but saw different opinions on high vs low in the sky. Also, do these look like rainbows to the naked eye or do they only appear with a long exposure?
Thanks and great shots!
E

Thanks. I can't say I am an expert at moonbow, not by a long shot. I guess theoretically they could be found anywhere so long as there is mist and sufficient moonlight at the proper angle ... same circumstances in which rainbows are found. One of the reasons they are harder to shoot is that they are much harder to see or recognize (also because they need to be shot in the night, without other light pollution, which is a deterrent for most people who need sleep). They are visible by the naked eye in the full moonlight, however ... you can even make out the colors, although they are not as brilliant as those picked up in the camera. In regards to high vs low position of the moon in the sky, my guess is that it would depend upon the subject matter and your relative position... if the falls have a lot of mist and you are shooting up and wish for a large arc over the middle of the falls (the look I was hoping for in the upper yosemite falls picture #1), then it would be good for the moon to be lower. If the mist is moderate, or you are aiming for a rainbow arc near the base of the falls, then having the moon a little higher up in the horizon might work better (sort of like the lower yosemite falls picture). If you are standing much higher than the falls, then having it be high in the sky might work well. Of course, I welcome any corrections/additional thoughts on this matter, as all of this is pure guesswork on my behalf. For Yosemite, it is much more simple. I had already heard that May and June are the best times of the year for moonbows there, and that Texas State U has a published chart for optimal moonbow times.

dls

coscorrosa wrote: »

So that's what it looks like when I extend the other four fingers, cool!

Given that it looks like you have a halo, I am glad all digits are showing!

dls

And a few more not so moony pictures from the same shoot ...

14.


15.


16.


17.


18.


Thanks for looking!

eoren1

Thanks for the explanation Dan. Really like that last one of the water falling into the mist/fog.
E

Jaynus

I love all of them!!

psralph

wow. very impressive.

Perry

www.perryralph.com

PrevailingConditions

A wonderful set - thank you so much for sharing.

Mike

Thwack

dls wrote: »

Thanks. Sometimes it is sort of intimidating to shoot or post pictures from Yosemite, given that it is arguably one of the most photographed natural parks in the world by so many much much better photographers. But regardless, you can't help but be inspired by the area. #5 happened by chance, spurred by curiosity of what the spot would look like predawn/moonlit. Too bad regarding your shoot that weekend... but it is an excuse for June, which I suspect would be better from the waterflow/spray and reflection pools standpoint. It's just that I think the full moon might fall on a weekend, making for somewhat crowded shooting conditions.

I gave up being intimidated by other photographers. I know they're all better than I am so I just compare against my own prior efforts in hopes of being able to see progress.

Yosemite is a great place to learn - so many opportunities for unique shots (and it's always fun to capture your own version of the iconic spots).

I have access to a place about 25 miles from Yosemite, so I get out there every chance I can get. The cost of an annual pass for all parks pays for itself very quickly.

Tioga Road just opened and I'm hoping to get out there this weekend to see what conditions are like in person. I don't expect the wild flowers to be blooming just yet though…

But, I might opt for a rematch with Mirror Lake at sunset (we had an incredible view for a couple minutes during a break in the clouds but we were on the trail - by the time we got down to the water to shoot what we came for, the clouds realized their error and had once again blocked evening light completely).


I like the Mist Trail/Vernal Fall shot you added. That was where we were headed on Sunday of Memorial Weekend if we could've gotten a parking spot.

ian408

I hit Tioga on Sunday last week (day after it opened). Lots of water on the road, lakes frozen and nothing open (except Whoa Nellie ). The park is flooding due to the high water.

Oh, and the falls are spectacular

Thwack

chasing moonbows and beams
Ian,

I made it briefly to the valley floor on Sunday (yesterday). Water levels are down a bit but the falls are still cranking out tons of water.

I'm still hoping to get to Tuolumne Meadows this week though I'm sure it'll still be messy.

Had to leave before evening light, but caught a bear near Crane Glat gas station on the way out. That's our third bear sighting in the last month and the second at Crane Flat. A Ranger told me the bear is a regular these days. Made a nice consolation prize for missing sunset lighting.