I Just got back from a week in Yosemite. Skys were clear the entire time. So conditions were actually better for night photography.
Although afternoon light was still good for Dogwoods in full bloom along the Merced.
I caught the moonbow on two nights. This one was from Cooks Meadow on May 11 at ~2:00AM. I shot Lower Yosemite Falls earlier. But the spray was so intense it made it quite a challenge to capture. Although a double moonbow was visible from there.
Thanks guys. One of the biggest challenges after finding a decent reflective area was dealing with all the photographer traffic. I was amazed at how many ppl showed up for this thing. Actually Saturday night was much worse. This was taken Sunday night and there was only ~ 1/5 the number off ppl/cars going by.
I like the version without the lights, if you're keeping tabs. I particularly like the details found in the stars. Did you play around with opening up the details in the reflection any more? It may not be accurate to what the eye sees, but it might be interesting. Nice capture... I always wondered what that event (moonbow and gathering) would be like to witness in person.
Posted by Rodney Ninow on April 16, 2010 at 3:25 PM
Derek, nice shots! One thing that I have struggled a bit with sometimes is focus at night. Since most lenses will focus past infinity slightly, how do you handle focus?
Posted by Derek Sedillo on April 16, 2010 at 4:15 PM
Thats a very good question Rodney. And this is lens specific. When I first purchased my 17-40L for example my night shots turned out terrible because I was shooting past infinity. Then I proceeded to try different settings after being somewhat discouraged. However I discovered that if I place it on the red infinity mark on the barrel it will be fine 90+% of the time. So before you go all the way to Yosemite to catch an annual event, practice, practice, practice with whatever lens(es) you plan to use.
Also having night photography experience overall will help. There are things which are unique to shooting in the dark in the middle of the night when you may be a bit cold/tired/disoriented. You'll need to be comfortable with hiking with a head lamp on, hearing animals running in the bushes next to you, changing lenses, etc...
I was shooting from a bridge in Yosemite at night last Spring when I noticed a big black bear on other end checking me out! I knew they were out there. But I just hadn't seen one approach me at night before like this. It was scary to say the least! I was hoping he wouldn't charge me or come any closer because I knew he could outrun me especially with all my camera gear. I just raised my hands and said something like 'Get out of here Bear.' And fortunately he moved on.
Derek
Posted by Rodney Ninow on April 16, 2010 at 4:34 PM
Wow Derek, that's quite a story! I've been to Yosemite a dozen times at least and have yet to see a bear. I feel gypped somehow.
That is a good idea about practicing, and also observing during the day where the focus ring stops for infinity.
Posted by Derek Sedillo on April 16, 2010 at 5:10 PM
Yeah, every lens is different depending on the format you shoot with. I shoot with a Canon DSLR and most Canon lenses have a red mark representing approximate infinity. But I also have a Zeiss manual focus lens for example which actually stops *at* infinity. That one is much eaiser to use at night obviously. But for night/star shots I almost always prefer to go wider angle. So I use my 17-40L primarily.
If your lenses don't have an infinity mark on the barrel then the best thing would be to use a piece of tape of something to mark it which you could see even at night. Of course you can preset to infinity. But chances are you might bump it and move it OOF. So its always better to check before shooting once everything is setup.
Lastly nights can get cold in the park especially if you are getting wet standing next to the falls. So a decent pair of shooting gloves (not thick ski gloves) really come in handy as well.
Discussion
8 repliesAlthough afternoon light was still good for Dogwoods in full bloom along the Merced.
I caught the moonbow on two nights. This one was from Cooks Meadow on May 11 at ~2:00AM. I shot Lower Yosemite Falls earlier. But the spray was so intense it made it quite a challenge to capture. Although a double moonbow was visible from there.
Canon 5DII, 17-40L, 17mm, 25s, f4, ISO 800
You can check out the larger version here:
http://landandseaphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/7006312_tzV5E/1/448867793_Pw3Er#537543443_wNsjv-A-LB
This is a classic winner! The reflection of the falls and moonbow are really well done. Everything looks nice and sharp. Best Regards.
a reflection.
I would also appreciate your feedback of this image I posted on M&N which captures the 'human' element of the event. Still undecided about it. Although the light streaks from the cars do add an additional element of interest:
http://landandseaphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/7006312_tzV5E/1/448867793_Pw3Er#539332940_5KUzx-A-LB
Derek
Also having night photography experience overall will help. There are things which are unique to shooting in the dark in the middle of the night when you may be a bit cold/tired/disoriented. You'll need to be comfortable with hiking with a head lamp on, hearing animals running in the bushes next to you, changing lenses, etc...
I was shooting from a bridge in Yosemite at night last Spring when I noticed a big black bear on other end checking me out! I knew they were out there. But I just hadn't seen one approach me at night before like this. It was scary to say the least!
Derek
That is a good idea about practicing, and also observing during the day where the focus ring stops for infinity.
If your lenses don't have an infinity mark on the barrel then the best thing would be to use a piece of tape of something to mark it which you could see even at night. Of course you can preset to infinity. But chances are you might bump it and move it OOF. So its always better to check before shooting once everything is setup.
Lastly nights can get cold in the park especially if you are getting wet standing next to the falls. So a decent pair of shooting gloves (not thick ski gloves) really come in handy as well.
Derek