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| “In search of moonbows?” a returning hiker asked as I hurried out of the Camp 4 parking lot with my tripod extended over my shoulder. I smiled and kept moving, assuming he had said “full moon,” or perhaps “moon photos,” or really anything else, since I hadn’t a clue what a moonbow was. The question faded as I started thinking about the photographs I wanted to make that night. Excited, my pace quickened to an awkward, gear-encumbered sprint.
Indeed, a full moon is a fine source of light for the prepared photographer. With a sturdy tripod and some patience, night becomes day. But it’s a better kind of day, one without the heat, the crowds, and the harsh tones of its brighter predecessor. And in no place more than Yosemite, these are three things a photographer can do without. I made all the stops on my itinerary that night. A panorama at the base of the upper falls. A long exposure of the village traffic. An abstract of the last fateful meters of Yosemite Creek. Six hours after leaving the valley floor, I was satisfied. I started my solitary walk back down the trail, happy with the night’s results. I remember being surprised at how damp everything was as I descended. The falls seemed to be peaking; had I really been up there that long? I packed up my gear before entering the wettest stretch, where saturated trees rained down onto the trail. Leaving the mist behind me, I arrived at a prominent corner. Anyone who’s hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls remembers this spot: it’s the first time you can see the Upper falls as you ascend, and the last glimpse you get on the way down. Earlier that night I had dismissed it as too cliché for a shot and had kept moving, but now as I approached from the other direction it seemed more reasonable to stop here and dry off, and maybe make a photograph or two. Resting and looking back into the mist of the upper falls, I noticed a faint white arc near its base. A couple of long exposures later, and it became clear as day: a rainbow! Unbelievably, the moon seemed to be at just the right position in the sky, creating a dim rainbow in the mist of the waterfall. A moon-light rainbow. A moonbow! Invigorated, I quickly started composing a shot, although it was darker now than when I had stood on the north rim. And the best perspectives took me back into the spray of the falls, soaking my lens during the mandatory long exposures. Despite the technical challenges, my first few attempts were actually decent, but failed to convey the most amazing aspect of the moonbow: nighttime. These could have been any mundane rainbow shots taken during the day. And so I settled on a more skyward angle, with the falls taking a less prominent position in the final composition. With a long exposure, there would be no mistaking the star trails arcing in the sky as the earth rotated underneath my camera. And then as quickly as I had discovered it, the moonbow was gone. As I returned to Camp 4, I considered the serendipity of what I had just experienced. I guessed that the a moonbow would only be possible to witness at certain locations, during certain months, and at certain times of night. I later learned that the odds of seeing a moonbow at the Lower Yosemite Falls, in terms of minutes out of the year, were roughly 1 in 500 (see Don Olson’s very informative and useful [moonbow web site]). In fact, the moon must be both bright enough (at least 96% full) and at a precise location with respect to the viewer, the sky must be both sufficiently dark and sufficiently clear, and there must be adequate water flow to generate a large cloud of mist at the falls. I had been very lucky indeed. To date, I have yet to see another photograph of a moonbow at the Upper Yosemite Falls. Numerous ones are taken each year from the more accessible Lower Falls. Interestingly, the phenomenon is also not limited to waterfalls, as any atmospheric event that produces enough water in the air can cause a moonbow to appear. The only problem is knowing where to look. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Pricing and framing options for "The Upper Moonbow" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "The Upper Moonbow" Limited Edition Prints | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2. Mounting (optional) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "The Upper Moonbow" Limited Edition Prints | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I currently offer prints on two fine-art archival papers: Epson Ultra Premium Luster and Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss.
