Image stacking to create the long exposure. Some highlight and shadow treatment to bring out the rocks and reduce the waterfall brightness. A little push to saturation to accentuate the colors in the night photograph.

Moonbow and Star Trails

In the spring around the nights of the full moon when the snow is melting in the mountains, it is possible to see rainbows at night in the mist of waterfalls in Yosemite National Park. These Lunar Rainbows, to the camera, look like the ones produced by sunlight during the days that are visible to our eyes.

This image was taken during the June full moon at lower Yosemite Falls. It is a combination of 25x 30 second images to provide the equivalent of 12 and half minutes of exposure to show the stars circling the north pole. The camera lens needed to be wiped dry between shots due to the large amount of mist at the base of the waterfall, so the star trails wiggle a little as this moved the camera a bit. I also think there may be a couple of geosynchronous satellites in the image .... but I liked the arc that the trails made and how it complemented the arc of the Moonbow. I also find it really cool that the light of the full moon can produce this rich color at night.