Yosemite Falls Moonlight

[Kyle Jones]

I took this a few years ago on a 1-night trip to Yosemite Valley (entered the park after dark and left before dawn). I really enjoyed shooting some icons with nobody else around. For this one I added some light to the tree with my flashlight.

Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Very nice, I like this one.

 

[AlanLichty]

If it weren't for the sky with stars I wouldn't have guessed it to be a night shot. It would be nice not shooting with tons of people around.

 

[Ryan10]

Nice image. Was this on a full moon? 3 hour drive?

 

[Kyle Jones]

Very nice, I like this one.

Thanks Ben - I hope you don't mind if I share some of my full moon photos too. It seems that is a subject we both enjoy.

If it weren't for the sky with stars I wouldn't have guessed it to be a night shot. It would be nice not shooting with tons of people around.

Thanks Alan. I definitely wasn't trying to emphasize night. My efforts at night photography have gone through various stages. At first (and especially because I was using film), just the idea that something was shot at night was enough for me to think it was cool. Along the way, I concluded that a bad composition or bad light don't suddenly become good because a shot was taken at night. This was an example of trying to make a quality photo (success of that can be decided by the viewer ) that made use of the conditions at hand.

Nice image. Was this on a full moon? 3 hour drive?

Close to a full moon. At night I can reach Yosemite Valley from home home in a little over 2.5 hours. I timed that evening's shoot with an attempt to capture Horsetail falls by moonlight. My trip around the valley (which included this shot) was a very enjoyable way to pass the time until moonset.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks Ben - I hope you don't mind if I share some of my full moon photos too. It seems that is a subject we both enjoy.


Not at all, you add some legitimacy to it.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Kyle,

A pretty nice image here. I think we have all gone through the "I can make my night time shot look like a day time shot" phase. I know I did. It was such a cool feeling that's hard to describe to be able by our photography turn night into day. Especially when we shot film, bright ground layers were the norm since our ISO's were so low back then we had to run long shutter speeds and long exposures.

So while, I wouldn't go for this bright of a foreground now, there is a certain charm to this photo with the way the ground layer is lit, especially with how well you lit up that tree. That is some masterful lighting on that tree!

Jim

 

[Bart Carrig]

It is very well done. An unreal image with real tones. Daylight at night; nightlight in a daytime scene; the lovely falls. It all goes so well together.

Bart

 

[Ryan10]

Close to a full moon. At night I can reach Yosemite Valley from home home in a little over 2.5 hours. I timed that evening's shoot with an attempt to capture Horsetail falls by moonlight. My trip around the valley (which included this shot) was a very enjoyable way to pass the time until moonset.

That's funny. Sounds like you're doing Yosemite the same way I've done Joshua Tree. Drive out in the evening 2.5 hours and return early morning like a zombie.

 

[Kyle Jones]

Hey Kyle,

A pretty nice image here. I think we have all gone through the "I can make my night time shot look like a day time shot" phase. I know I did. It was such a cool feeling that's hard to describe to be able by our photography turn night into day. Especially when we shot film, bright ground layers were the norm since our ISO's were so low back then we had to run long shutter speeds and long exposures.

So while, I wouldn't go for this bright of a foreground now, there is a certain charm to this photo with the way the ground layer is lit, especially with how well you lit up that tree. That is some masterful lighting on that tree!

Jim

Thanks Jim - I had a pretty good teacher for light painting (Michael Frye)

It is very well done. An unreal image with real tones. Daylight at night; nightlight in a daytime scene; the lovely falls. It all goes so well together.

Bart

Thanks a lot Bart - that is part of what I enjoy with these.

That's funny. Sounds like you're doing Yosemite the same way I've done Joshua Tree. Drive out in the evening 2.5 hours and return early morning like a zombie.

Exactly - too good of a target too close to home. And my wife doesn't like me to be away too long