Moon setting on a misty night, El Capitan Meadow, Yosemite
Sunday night at around 11 o’clock I was, naturally, thinking about going to bed. But I decided to check the satellite images online to see if it might be worth getting up early. The skies had been overcast in the afternoon, with some light showers. Now the satellite images showed skies clearing.
It occurred to me to check the moon. I knew the moon was waxing (getting closer to full every day), but wasn’t sure exactly what stage it was in. Looking at PhotoPills told me the moon was at 71% (about three-quarters full), and due to set at 1:42 a.m. The angle of the moonset – 273 degrees – was interesting, as it was similar to the angle of the setting sun in late March, which is a good time of year for late-afternoon photographs from Tunnel View.
Hmm… A quick look outside revealed some interesting, low-hanging clouds. If I moved quickly I could reach the valley before the moon went down. And if there were clouds, and some mist from the rain, I could perhaps make a nighttime version of this late-March photograph, using the setting moon, instead of the setting sun, to illuminate Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall. There wouldn’t be much water in the fall, but still, it might be interesting, and worth a try.
I threw on warm clothes, grabbed some snacks and my camera gear, and headed out the door. Unfortunately, the skies had cleared, and the interesting clouds were gone. But I was committed by then, and kept going. Maybe I’d find more clouds in the park.
No such luck. Arriving at Tunnel View, I could see only clear skies overhead. There was some low-lying mist in the valley, which was interesting, and I took a few photographs, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for.
So I asked myself what I would do in the daytime with low-lying mist in the valley. I wouldn’t go to Tunnel View – I’d go down into the mist. And I’d look for backlit trees, with the potential for sunbeams and other interesting lighting effects.
So I drove down to El Cap Meadow, and found a beautiful scene, with the mist and trees backlit by the setting moon, and… not sunbeams… but rather moonbeams radiating from the trees. For the next half hour I tried different angles and compositions as the mist shifted and the moon sank, always being sure to include some stars to make it clear that the photographs were made at night. Most of the time I hid the moon behind a tree to avoid lens flare, and to show the radiating light beams. Although several compositions worked well, the image above jumped out at me later, with its Close Encounters look.
I could only see hints of the gold, sunset-like color with my eyes, but the color showed up very well on the back of the camera, and later in Lightroom. The color-recording cones in our retinas don’t work at low light levels, so we tend to see nighttime scenes in black and white. But the camera can record colors at night perfectly. And when the moon sets, its light turns gold and orange, just like at sunset (for another example of this, take a look at this photograph of Horsetail Fall by moonlight).
Looking right into the moon, I didn’t need to push the ISO as high as in my other recent nighttime photographs from Yosemite Valley. The exposure here was 8 seconds at f/2.8, 1600 ISO. To arrive at this exposure, I used exactly the same procedure as for a daytime photograph looking into the sun: I looked at the histogram and blinkies, and adjusted the exposure until there were some small areas of blinkies around the sun – or in this case, the moon. Although I bracketed some exposures, this is not an exposure blend; it’s just one Raw file processed entirely in Lightroom.
In all my years photographing Yosemite Valley I have never seen the sun setting through mist in El Cap Meadow. It just doesn’t happen, because you usually only find low-lying mist like this in the morning, not the afternoon. Sometimes fog forms in El Cap Meadow around sunset in winter, but at that time of year the sun sets too far to the south to reach the meadow (behind Cathedral Rocks to the left in this view). So almost by accident I found the perfect way to photograph mist in El Cap Meadow with really low backlight – by using the moon!
Anyway, it was another fun night. I lost a little sleep, but it was well worth it.
– Michael Frye
Related Posts: Too Much Fun; Horsetail Fall by Moonlight
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael 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.
Great shot Michael!
You must have walked down along the edge of the River on the east end of the Meadow to get a clear view of the moon at such a low elevation. So often the sun and the moon are obscured by the mountains on both sides of the valley.
1:43 am, huh? You worked hard to get that image. Thanks for sharing all the details.
Jack
Thanks Jack. I was in the eastern part of the meadow, but not near the river. If I had moved back the moon would have been juxtaposed against a higher part of the tree, and the light beams wouldn’t have extended over my head. The reason the moon wasn’t blocked by the mountains on the sides of the valley is because of the particular angle that the moon was setting at (almost due west). The sun sets at this angle in late March and early September. The moon is much more variable, and probably sets at a similar angle at least once a month, but at different phases each month (sometimes as a crescent, sometimes near full, sometimes in between, and often during the daytime).
Wow, what a great story and image. I know you enjoyed your adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us. An outstanding example of using both photo tools (photopils, etc) and good old fashion photographer’s experience and intuition to bring an image together.
John
Thank you John!
terrific story and absolutely killer shot Michael
Thanks very much Mark!
That’s a wonderful story and a gorgeous image to go with it! I am such a sucker for mist and beams, and the fact that these are moonbeams makes it even more fantastic.
Thank you so much Vivienne! And I really appreciate how often you comment here on the blog!
You are so welcome, Michael. But the thanks really goes to you, for sharing your experiences and techniques. If I could fave this a thousand times over on Flickr, I would. But it will have to be just once. 🙂
A beautiful and unique shot Michael. I really enjoy Yosemite photos that are not so common. Another example of chance favoring the prepared mind.
Thanks very much John! And yes, you have to be prepared. I was lucky to find this light, but I wouldn’t have been able to react so quickly and execute the photographs if I hadn’t done a lot of other nighttime photographs recently. I knew how to focus and compose in the dark, and what general settings to use, so I could concentrate on light and composition without worrying about technical details and camera operation.
Sounds like a modern day version of Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico. 🙂
Well it seems that Adams guy had a thing for the moon.
Dear Mike,
It’s such a beautiful shot! I also appreciate your fond description of the quintessence of the valley. I just wanted to learn as a beginner, how do you capture and accentuate the rays of moonshine (or sunshine)? Is it at post production processing or through using certain filter. I tried to capture sharp grades of rays but they were not as sharp as expected, rather with subtle transitions. Would appreciate your comments gratefully.
Best regards,
Shuvo
Thanks Shuvo! There’s no processing or filter trick involved here – just good conditions. If your sunbeams aren’t as distinct as you’d like, it’s either because they just weren’t that distinct in real life (sometimes our minds make them stand out more than they really do), or they got lost against a cluttered background, or they were overexposed. Adding Clarity in Lightroom or Camera Raw can help make them stand out more, but only if they’re distinct enough to begin with.
Many thanks for sharing such valuable insights.
Michael, what a wonderful life you have. Magnificent image and great narrative. Thanks so much for sharing this one. On my wall is your Horsetail Falls image and a Galen Rowell image of Yosemite Falls in Moonlight. This image would be a good ethereal addition. Best regards, BA
Thanks very much Barry! I’m glad my Horsetail photo is in such good company. If you’re serious about getting a print of this image, send me an email. 🙂
Hello Mike,
What a shot, I have been your fb fan for months now and seen many of your landscapes with awe and aww and uhh and wow and man and damnnn kind of feelings !!!! But this is the one that took my breath away !!! I have never ever seen any picture like this my entire life ….
You my friend, are the BEST in BUSINESS !!!
Regards,
-DS
Thank you very much DS!
Michael,
What an extraordinary photo composition! Your situational knowledge made it seem so effortless yet I can picture those wheels spinning in your mind once you got the idea and inspiration. I can’t help but think of prisms and kaleidoscopes when viewing your stunning photo. #Unique
Thank you Ann! While I had some vague idea of photographing the moonlight coming through the mist, I didn’t really have a clear concept of what I’d see until I got to the meadow. From there I was just reacting to what I saw, and asking that always-valuable “what-if” question, as in, “What if I went over there?” or “What would it look like if I put the moon behind a tree?” That last idea is simply borrowed from knowing what often works in similar situations with sunlight.
Today’s “thinking outside the box” must have evolved from the good old gold standard, “what if”? I own up to being photography challenged but enjoy learning your techniques, visual critiquing and appreciation. And, it doesn’t get any better having Yosemite NP in our ‘backyard’.
Michael,
Great story and beautiful image! I wonder if you could elaborate about determining your settings? I’m assuming you would need a wide open aperture, but how do you determine the best shutter speed vs. ISO setting?
Thanks Alan. The length of the shutter speed is limited by not wanting the stars to streak, or the moon to move too much. For stars, with this focal length (24mm), I usually can go to 15 or 20 seconds without the streaking getting too bad, but with the moon I wanted to keep the shutter speed shorter. For some reason a slightly-streaked moon looks worse than slightly-streaked stars. So with the shutter speed limited to 8 seconds, and the aperture as wide as I care to go (f/2.8), the ISO is the only other variable. And I don’t have a problem using 1600 ISO; I know the noise will be minimal with this camera (Sony A7r).
In thinking about this later, I could have probably used a longer shutter speed, like 15 seconds, since the moon isn’t really visible. That would have allowed me to use f/4, which would be slightly sharper in the corners, or a lower ISO, which would have less noise. But at the time I thought it was better to keep the shutter speed shorter, and the photograph is still quite sharp and relatively noise-free.
Kudos to you for the early morning dedication!
It certainly paid you well. This is absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Deborah!
Absolutely beautiful!!!
Thanks Don!
Absolutely beautiful – and a great story! I always love to hear the backstory to these amazing photographs.
Thanks very much Chloe!
Michael, I am in awe of your captures. I am thrilled to see your images and to hear about your early mornings of late nights. I am an early morning shooter and often am up and packed to go out shooting well before sunrise. A cup of coffee, a few cameras and lenses, chair all in a rolling box to go just sit and wait. I am inspired by your work. Thanks.
Carol
Thanks Carol! I am not a morning person, but force myself to get up early often because it’s such a great time to photograph.
It’s a stunning capture, Michael, and I loved hearing the story behind the photo. I also enjoyed reading about the settings you described in your reply to Alan’s comment. Thank you for sharing all the details, they are very educational.
By the way, though I could see the starry sky, I wouldn’t have said it is the moon behind the trees. That sun-like look adds an interesting and quite unusual contrast to the capture…
Thank you Petra! Yes, moonlight looks just like sunlight in many cases. Sometimes the only visible difference is the presence of stars. The sky (that is, a clear sky or blue sky) is a bit darker, relative to everything else, than in the daytime, but that’s subtle. Shadows may be (relatively) darker as well. There seems to be less light being scattered through the atmosphere by the moon than the sun (again, relative to its brightness), and that scattered light is what illuminates the sky and fills in shadows. I don’t know why that would be, but that’s just what I’ve observed in my own photographs.
Michael and Petra,
Perhaps the decreased scattering of light during the night has to do with cooler temperatures and less particulates in the air???
Interesting thought James, thanks. That could be, although it seems to happen as much right after sunset as in the early-morning hours, so I’m not sure. I should add that my statement about the sky being darker is my subjective impression, looking at my own photographs, and not based on any actual measurements. There are probably a lot of variables that come into play. Maybe I’ll ask Don Olson about this.
Wow Michael, wonderful shot!
When you refer to the angle of the moon, angle relative to what?
Thanks for sharing,
Doug
Thanks Doug! I am referring to the angle relative to true north – in other words, a compass direction.
Michael,
Hauntingly beautiful. Artistically superb. Technically magnificent. Mysterious. Serene. Wow factor. These are terms that I and others often employ in describing landscape photographs. But seldom do all apply to one image. Your “Moon setting on a misty night, El Capitan Meadow, Yosemite” is truly deserving of all of these and more. Congratulations! It was definitely worth a little sleep deprivation.
Jim
Thank you so much Jim! Very high praise, and I really appreciate that. I do like my sleep, but I can always sleep later. 🙂
fantastic capture, gorgeous tones and color, michael.
happy friday! 🙂
Thank you Betty!
Wow Michael, this is truly stunning! Probably one of the most inspiring images I’ve seen in a while. Nicely done…and I would have loved seeing this.
Thanks so much Slavomir! It was a great thing to see in person, though in situations like this I’m usually concentrating on the photography too much to fully enjoy the scene. That’s one of the tradeoffs: photography motivates us to be out in beautiful places at times when the light and weather are interesting, which we probably wouldn’t do otherwise; on the other hand, when we find ourselves in those situations we’re often too busy operating the camera to fully experience the moment. 🙂
Coming back to your best posts of the year, again I pick this as my favorite. Great work! Happy and prosperous 2015!