Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/05/23

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Subject: [Leica] Yosemite Moonbow
From: leica_r8 at hotmail.com (Aram Langhans)
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 


Replies: Reply from abridge at mac.com (Adam Bridge) ([Leica] Yosemite Moonbow)
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