Light-painted tufa towers at Mono Lake
My Full Moon Night Photography workshop ended just after midnight last night. We had a lot of fun. Once people learned the basics I think they realized that photographing after dark isn’t that difficult. Then their creative juices started flowing and they started light-painting tufa towers and juniper trees with abandon!
As a bonus, we saw a spectacular sunset at Mono Lake Friday evening. Here’s one of my photographs of that sunset, and a couple of images from South Tufa I made while working with students on light-painting techniques. I hope to post some of the participant’s images here also as soon as they’ve processed them.
I’ll be doing another night photography workshop in Yosemite with The Ansel Adams Gallery next summer. Registration is already open, and you can see the details here.
—Michael Frye
Sunset at Mono Lake, Friday evening
Moonlit clouds and light-painted tufas, Mono Lake
Related Posts: Juniper and Star Trails; Horsetail Fall by Moonlight.
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author and photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, plus the eBook Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom. He has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Simply breathtaking!! Thank You for sharing!!
Just beautiful Michael. I wish I lived closer so that I could attend one of your workshops.
I’d love to know how you light-painted the tufa in the first picture, Michael! What light source did you use?
Spectacular, as usual!! 🙂
Patti, Edith, Edie, Debbie – thanks very much!
Edie, I used a Magnalight rechargeable spotlight with a slight amber gel. It’s often too bright for light-painting, but great for distant subjects like this. I learned the other night that you have to let it warm up for a few seconds after turning it on, as the color changes. When I didn’t let it warm up, one end of the tufas would be green! Some kind of hand-held spotlight is also very useful for composing and focusing in the dark.
http://www.magnalight.com/pc-316-31-rechargeable-hid-handheld-light.aspx
I congratulate you. I really love your work, your pictures give me moments of peace and remind me of the other side of life that we usually tend to neglect because of our daily responsibilities and we never take time to appreciate what is around us. So thank you for these great moments.
Best regards
Sarah, thanks very much for your comments. I’m very glad these photographs speak to you!
That first photograph is very beautiful. I like the contrast, the reflection and the mountains as a backdrop.
David, thanks very much!
Love the photos Michael. The topmost photo looks like a floating castle 🙂
Thanks Vidya!
You are an inspiration Michael! watching your stuff is sheer meditation!
Thanks very much Sanjay!
Michael,
In your workshops at Mono Lake, do you take people out to the Castle Tufas. Seems like no one goes there and few know about them.
Well John, count me as one of those who don’t know about them, or at least I don’t know the name. Where are they?