A day later the crescent moon accompanies the ancient monument.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Canon EOS 20Da
previous | nightscapes index | next
Monument Valley Moon
Category Archives: Coffee Table Nightscapes
One Day Moonument
A beautiful composition where a very young moon, maybe less than a day old, following a short distance behind the setting sun, accents the sky.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
3 November 2005
Canon EOS 20Da
previous | nightscapes index | next
Earth Shadow behind Monument Valley
As the sun sets in the west, the view to the east shows a distinct purplish band at the horizon. This is the Earth’s shadow on the sky, a forecast of the twilight to come.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
3 November 2005
Canon EOS 20Da
previous | nightscapes index | next
Earth Shadow behind Mitten
The sun has just set and the remaining colors cast a warm glow on the “North Mitten”. The sky behind it shows the shadow of the Earth on the sky just above the horizon.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
3 November 2005
Canon EOS 20Da
previous | nightscapes index | next
Coffee Table Nightscapes Resume
I have used this blog as a vehicle to “pre-publish” the pages for what I call “Coffee Table Nightscapes”. I’ve been reviewing the night sky pictures and astrophotos that I have taken over the last few decades, selecting my favorites, annotating them, and preparing them to be published as a photo book. They begin with pictures of comet Hale-Bopp in 1997, include many from my Nightscape Odyssey taken in 2001, and I had worked my way up through the 2004 pictures from Yosemite.
I will now pick up from there by posting pictures of Monument Valley during a trip to Arizona in 2005. The full story of obtaining these photos has already been presented in earlier blog entries. Here is a portrait of the distinctive landscape at sunset, one I have included among the banner images on this site.
Utah, northwest of Monument Valley
2 November 2005
Canon EOS 20Da
previous | nightscapes index | next
Yosemite Valley by Moonlight
The light of a setting crescent moon illuminates the famous valley. El Capitan looms on the left, a point of light is seen on its face, the flashlight of a climber, strapped to the wall for an overnight pause in progress. Half Dome is in the distance, and Bridalveil Falls pours reflected moonlight into the valley, the headlights of cars seeming to carry it downstream alongside the Merced River.
Yosemite National Park, CA
April 2004
Pentax 67 w 55mm lens at f/4
60 minute exposure on Provia 400
If you are interested in my occasional contributions to Thor’s Life-Notes, I invite you to follow along.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”has-text-color has-background-color has-background has-primary-background-color” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Half Dome
During the day, Yosemite must have the highest number of tripods per capita in the world. Mine is setup at night during this difficult hour. Traffic, in the form of late arriving tourists, security rangers on patrol, and mangy coyotes, all serve to distract me while exposing this shot from Sentinel Bridge.
Half Dome, the signature shape of Yosemite, is illuminated by starlight, revealing the patterns of rock varnish on its face. The faint light from the sky also reflects gently on the Merced River as it flows beneath my vantage point.
Yosemite National Park, CA
April 2004
Pentax 67 w 55mm lens at f/4 60 minute exposure on Provia 400
If you are interested in my occasional contributions to Thor’s Life-Notes, I invite you to follow along.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”has-text-color has-background-color has-background has-primary-background-color” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Yosemite Meteor
Yosemite Falls is at a thunderous volume in this season, seeming to pour starlight over the edge of the cliff into the valley. The water continues its downward path via Lower Yosemite Falls, the dim watery glint reflecting a moonless night.
A meteor bright enough to light up the forest flashed through the sky just before the end of this 90-minute exposure. A fireball that left a glowing plasma trail, it is a member of the Lyrid meteor shower, an annual April event. It cuts a chord across the arcs of stars making their daily tour around Polaris.
Yosemite National Park, CA
22 April 2004
Pentax 6×7 w 55mm lens at f/4
90 minute exposure on Provia 400
If you are interested in my occasional contributions to Thor’s Life-Notes, I invite you to follow along.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”has-text-color has-background-color has-background has-primary-background-color” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Bridalveil Falls
The stars follow their gradual southern arcs parallel to the terrain during this 90 minute exposure. The water is unusually high this season, catching and reflecting starlight during its freefall down to the valley floor, the long exposure creating a flowing river of mist not possible to capture during the bright daylight hours.
Yosemite National Park, CA
April 2004
Pentax 67 w 55mm lens at f/4
90 minute exposure on Provia 400
If you are interested in my occasional contributions to Thor’s Life-Notes, I invite you to follow along.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”has-text-color has-background-color has-background has-primary-background-color” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Split Rock Lighthouse
Spring comes late to this region. Snow was an obstacle to bringing equipment to this site, but once there, I could enjoy a solitude that amplified the sounds of the great lake. The beating of waves against the shore diminished through the evening as the temperature dropped and the water in this back bay was held captive and quiet beneath a thin ice glaze. Occasional cracks and “tinks” were heard as daytime puddles froze in their rock bowls.
This time exposure captures the stars traversing their east-west passage over the recently thawed waters of Lake Superior. Park security lamps are now the only light on the famous cliff, illuminating the distinctive shape of this former, but now dark, guardian beacon.
Two Harbors, MN
21 March 2004
Nikomat with 150mm lens at f/5.6
60 minute exposure on Provia 100 +2 stops
If you are interested in my occasional contributions to Thor’s Life-Notes, I invite you to follow along.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”has-text-color has-background-color has-background has-primary-background-color” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]