Moonbow Madness + Edit

[JimFox]

Well, after I got back home I wasn't going to even process these Upper Yosemite Fall moonbow shots with the Milky Way in it. I met Kyle up there, and the shooting locations to avoid trees were very limited. Kyle and Alejandro got there first, and their spot was the best position to shoot from. Kyle being the great guy that he is invited me to setup with them. But looking at their spot, if I set up there it would have made it really hard for anyone to move around at all, and I didn't want to impose on them. So I set up in a spot that I thought was the best compromise and at the time it seemed fine. But getting back home I immediately saw that the whole lower right was a dark vacuum which is something I normally notice and avoid while shooting. And had I noticed it while shooting, I would have gone back and sat on Kyle's lap if I had to so I could fit in there.

But... I decided today to give a couple of the shots a chance. This one at the very end as we wrapped up shooting (otherwise Kyle and Alejandro were in my composition) and I wanted a couple of shots without anyone in the shot. The problem is the moonbow is not complete anymore, the good news is the Milky Way is a bit more visible. I have one other I will process from earlier where I do get a full moonbow, but the Milky Way is a bit weaker because of the moon being brighter.

Anyway, enough with the excuses.... here is what I got. All comments are welcome.

Jim

Original

Edited - I cooled off the ground layer. The suggestions were simply for a cooler WB, but a cooler WB globally would mess up the sky pretty bad in my opinion so I did cool down he ground layer. Hopefully that's what Dan and Alan meant.

 

[dan swiger]

Jim, I like it a lot. You got four strong elements (Falls/moonbow/Half Dome/Milky Way).
I think the dark space is fine as it's a night shot & its a silhouette.
My ONLY suggestions are:
A little cooler WB
A possible 4x5 crop, removing from the right.
I will reiterate, I wish I could have met up.
Then you guys would have laughs watching me try to manage the reciprocity failure

 

[AlanLichty]

Still a pretty nice shot. I do agree with Dan about cooling the WB a bit.

 

[Kyle Jones]

You definitely pulled more detail out of the core than I got. I like seeing the different take. The Moonbow may not be as full, but it is higher up on the fall, still plenty prominent, and you got more of the double than I could find in any of mine.

The nice thing about the dark area is it blocks more lights from the cars in the valley. I did a bunch of clone work! If it was mine I'd go a little cooler and maybe a little less green, but that's just personal preference as you well know.

 

[JimFox]

You definitely pulled more detail out of the core than I got. I like seeing the different take. The Moonbow may not be as full, but it is higher up on the fall, still plenty prominent, and you got more of the double than I could find in any of mine.

The nice thing about the dark area is it blocks more lights from the cars in the valley. I did a bunch of clone work! If it was mine I'd go a little cooler and maybe a little less green, but that's just personal preference as you well know.

Thanks Kyle. Yeah, I was happy to be able to get that level of detail from the Milky Way considering how bright the moon was.

 

[JimFox]

Hmmm, the difference between the 2 sure looked like a lot more in Photoshop.

 

[Joe Colozzo]

Beautiful photo Jim

 

[lightsgood]

Simply wonderful.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Beutiful shot Jim, and I like both versions and in fact cannot really see much difference.

 

[JimFox]

Beutiful shot Jim, and I like both versions and in fact cannot really see much difference.

Thanks so much Ben, I am glad you liked it. The best place to notice the difference between the 2 is in the waterfall as it's more white in the 2nd one. The sky is the same in both shots as I like the Color balance of the sky as it is.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks Jim. I will come back in a few weeks and check it again and see if I can tell the difference.

 

[Alisa]

Well, after I got back home I wasn't going to even process these Upper Yosemite Fall moonbow shots with the Milky Way in it. I met Kyle up there, and the shooting locations to avoid trees were very limited. Kyle and Alejandro got there first, and their spot was the best position to shoot from. Kyle being the great guy that he is invited me to setup with them. But looking at their spot, if I set up there it would have made it really hard for anyone to move around at all, and I didn't want to impose on them. So I set up in a spot that I thought was the best compromise and at the time it seemed fine. But getting back home I immediately saw that the whole lower right was a dark vacuum which is something I normally notice and avoid while shooting. And had I noticed it while shooting, I would have gone back and sat on Kyle's lap if I had to so I could fit in there.

But... I decided today to give a couple of the shots a chance. This one at the very end as we wrapped up shooting (otherwise Kyle and Alejandro were in my composition) and I wanted a couple of shots without anyone in the shot. The problem is the moonbow is not complete anymore, the good news is the Milky Way is a bit more visible. I have one other I will process from earlier where I do get a full moonbow, but the Milky Way is a bit weaker because of the moon being brighter.

Anyway, enough with the excuses.... here is what I got. All comments are welcome.

Jim

Original
View attachment 9808


Edited - I cooled off the ground layer. The suggestions were simply for a cooler WB, but a cooler WB globally would mess up the sky pretty bad in my opinion so I did cool down he ground layer. Hopefully that's what Dan and Alan meant.
View attachment 9811

Wow! this is great! I love the moonbow!! what a beautiful shot!

 

[Douglas Sherman]

I like them both, Jim. I have been staring at them for about ten minutes and I still can't tell the difference even though they are side by side.

 

[AlanLichty]

I think I do like the edit. The waterfall color seems less muddy and there is a notable increase in the vibrance in the rainbow.

 

[JimFox]

I like them both, Jim. I have been staring at them for about ten minutes and I still can't tell the difference even though they are side by side.

Thanks Doug!

Yeah, after I uploaded the edit at first glance I couldn't tell any difference and thought I must have made a mistake on the upload! I didn't want to turn the cliffs to a cold color, I did like a bit of the warm feel, but I did pull down on the yellow and it was noticeable when I edited and used the Preview button to flip back and forth. But the change in the cliffs was more subtle then I would have wanted, I might have to edit it a bit more. But the easiest way to see the difference is in the waterfall.

 

[Ryan10]

Regardless of the dark trees in the image, you've captured some of nature's beautiful arches, and I like. One day I will have to get to Yosemite.

 

[Bart Carrig]

Wow, what a great capture of a host of great conditions. Very impressive.

Bart