Mono Lake and Crescent Moon
Sep, 2015Views
3011
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in The Beauty Of Lakes And Rivers Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Color Theory Photo Contest
Featured
Judge Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1Top 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
-
Share to Facebook
-
Share to X
-
Share to WhatsApp
-
Share via Email
Behind The Lens
Location
My son and I were up shooting the Milky Way in the Bristlecone pine forest just south of here during the new moon. On our way home the next day, we camped here at Mono Lake so I could get in some landscape photography, hoping for good light in the morning. This was happening during a rather large forest fire near Yosemite, resulting in a layer of smoke in the air and an opportunity for some interesting atmospherics.Time
When I awoke before dawn I could see the beautiful crescent moon glistening in the the east. Quite often I try to include the moon in my photographs so we drove over to the tufa area of the lake to look for a composition. The first and obvious visual element this particular morning was the color of the sky due to smoke in the air and its’ reflection in the water. The color gradient from deep magenta to purple was striking.Lighting
The predawn light was very promising as we walked down to the beach. Even though the sky was mostly quite clear, the low level layer of smoke in the air only accentuated and saturated the magenta light over the lake.Equipment
The composition is straightforward and obvious so I setup my tripod and attached a 10-stop ND filter to my 12-40mm lens to get a long shutter speed to smooth out the water and create a more zen/minimalist image. My settings for this shot: shutter speed was 30 seconds, f9, ISO 200, and 14mm (28mm full frame equivalent) on my Olympus EM-1.Inspiration
Standing there on the beach taking in the color and calm of the moment energized my excitement, knowing that I might create a stunning image that morning which could even be portfolio worthy! The addition of the crescent moon was a cherry on top!Editing
My photography always takes on a life of its own with thoughtful post processing. Sometimes I know what I want the final image to convey, while other times, it has a mind of its own and takes me in a surprising direction as post processing develops. With this particular photograph, straight away I knew what I wanted and, using Adobe Lightroom, I quickly balanced the tones and colors to reach this final image.In my camera bag
Years ago I adopted the micro 4/3 format. At 71 years old I’m not keen on carrying a heavy pack. This gear is light and somewhat surprisingly, yields very good results. My first camera was the revolutionary OM-1 which I bought in 1978. Sticking with Olympus seemed to be the right thing to do when the time came to get serious with digital photography, so I bought the flagship EM-1. Since then, I’ve filled my bag with a number of lenses; 12-40mm pro, 40-150mm pro, MC14 teleconverter, 7-14mm pro, 7.5 fisheye, 60mm macro, 76mm prime, and the Voigtlander f0.95 25mm prime. My current tripod is the FLM CP30-L4 II. The filters I carry, ND and polarizer, are all screw on and I use step up and step down rings for compatibility with the lenses I use most often.Feedback
When out on location, I find that keeping eyes and mind open are essential to coming home with images I’m proud of. My art is guided by what I visually respond to in the moment. It’s not served as well when I have a previsualized concept that sometimes becomes forced by my stubbornness and then fails as art. I think your “hit rate” is enhanced when you simply explore a location and notice what you respond to. When you’ve found a candidate, hone the composition.
