OT - Lunar Rainbow, and Big Dipper over Yosemite Falls

[BlueCorn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14988978#post14988978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IPT
mmmm, I may like the second one even more.... In fact I do. Still get that star filled sky but with more detail and sense of place regarding the sheer cliffs and falls Yosemite is so well known for. N I C E . (btw - it's spring, so I am expecting some shots of those pesky black campground bears too!)

What focal lengths were used for the shots?

Actually Louis, many of the bears in Yosemite don't den in the winter so they're around all year. This was actually the first trip, in a while, that I didn't see one.

The first shot was at 25mm and the 2nd at 70mm.

 

[BlueCorn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14987548#post14987548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wolverine
Fantastic shot Doug.



Yeah, it's from the moonlight in the fall mist. They're also sometimes called "moonbows".

Thanks Dave.

I cringe every time I hear someone call it a moonbow. Are we supposed to call the other ones "sunbows" now? :lol:

It's no different from a rainbow, it's just a dimmer light source.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Your are a photography genius!

 

[Alexander180]

wow! second one is much more intense as far as the rainbow goes. I love it.

 

[swjim]

They're both beautiful, great job!

 

[SlavicSavage]

Technically then it would be called a waterfallbow, not a rainbow.

 

[IPT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14990000#post14990000 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Misled
I keep looking at these two pics everytime I come back to this thread and I have a question. Louis, is that you standing up in the crevis of those mountians???



I know, it's probably a tree or something, but it reminds me of the shot of you in your avatar.

Man, if I were the I'd of been down there with Doug snapping away! That is probably a tree and one that's like 50ft tall or more!!

Though, how cool would it be to have this shot with the Aurora overhead too? That would killer, and could happen too (hint, hint Doug). If he was looking Northward (and it's been a long time since I've been there so I don't remember the orientation) it could happen. On a really good flare of the Sun the Northern Lights (Aurora) have been seen as far south as Mexico!

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14990092#post14990092 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
I cringe every time I hear someone call it a moonbow.

That's why I didn't say that's what I call them.
I think it's a dumb name also, but I've seen them labelled like that frequently, so I thought I'd mention it to make it easier for people to look for other images.

 

[BlueCorn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14991634#post14991634 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IPT
Man, if I were the I'd of been down there with Doug snapping away! That is probably a tree and one that's like 50ft tall or more!!

Yeah - at least 50ft. There were actually folks up on the falls trail while I was shooting. A couple of my shots have lights in them.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14991634#post14991634 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IPT
Though, how cool would it be to have this shot with the Aurora overhead too? That would killer, and could happen too (hint, hint Doug). If he was looking Northward (and it's been a long time since I've been there so I don't remember the orientation) it could happen. On a really good flare of the Sun the Northern Lights (Aurora) have been seen as far south as Mexico! [/B]

While it's possible it's not very probable. It would have to be dark enough to get the aurora and then I'd have no moon to illuminate the falls. It would be cool though.

 

[RyanEG]

Amazing as always Doug! I think your shots are what we all hope to achieve someday.

 

[IPT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14992653#post14992653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
While it's possible it's not very probable. It would have to be dark enough to get the aurora and then I'd have no moon to illuminate the falls. It would be cool though.

It would be a long shot, but more because of your latitude and the lame Solar activity we're having. We actually like a 1/2 moon or more for the same reasons you do. Especially with the snow on the ground it helps illuminate the mountains and foreground landscape. Then the images have a better sense of place and depth. I have images of a nearly full moon smack in the middle of the Aurora. Moonlight also gives the sky more of the blue, like in your images as opposed to the black of a moonless night. I much prefer those deep blue late night sky shots like the ones you've displayed here.

I once remember reading something from Galen Rowell that he doesn't photograph things, he photographs light. Give him good light and he'd find a good shot.

 

[xtm]

Great eye! (or eyes). I've never heard of lunar rainbow until today.. lol

great GREAT capture!

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Big sun spot just appeared recently, you may get some wicked flares from it.

 

[IPT]

Nah, according to the Space weather site they "lack the dark cores required of true sunspots". We're down to only about 4 and 1/2 hours of darkness a night now anyway, so the Aurora season is about over for us no matter what sun does. Maybe Doug will get lucky though .

BTW Doug, what is Mono Lake looking like these days? Last I was there (probably 10 years ago) the water level had risen quite a bit and those epic "Tufa" shots were mostly submerged. Still the same?

 

[marino420td]

Great shots Doug. How do you focus at night? Do you just set your lens to its hyperfocal distance?

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14995140#post14995140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xtm
Great eye! (or eyes). I've never heard of lunar rainbow until today..

Doug wants you to call them "moonbows".

 

[oneradtek202]

man, how do you get the star streaking to not happen? with a 30second exposure, it should start to streak?? post processing?

 

[BlueCorn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14998486#post14998486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by oneradtek202
man, how do you get the star streaking to not happen? with a 30second exposure, it should start to streak?? post processing?

Not pp. There is some slight streaking visible on a 100% crop, more so on the one at 70mm than at 25. The amount of streaking is proportionate to the focal length. The wider the shot, the less pronounced the streaking.

 

[ufgeee]

beautiful

 

[ufgeee]

im sure it was more amazing in person