Moonlight on the Beach, a photo from British Columbia, Western

Photographer's Note

I was out taking some pictures of sunset on the beach and I decided to try with some different things. I turned around and saw that the moon was rising and giving a good reflection off the water near the shore. A 30 second exposure gave the result you see. Unfortunately, the moon is totally burned out - I have to try this again with an HDR and see if I can get a more natural looking moon. On the other hand, the star pattern of rays coming from the moon looks pretty good too. The lights on the right hand side are from Vancouver's downtown, which is about 10km away.

jusninasirun, Matthew-Watt, Floydian, maglex, chpp, gneufeld, asajernigan, Dyerco, ChrisJ, plimrn, jhm, pierrefonds, zeca, carper, kiks, wilkinsonsg has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

corniste (4278) 2008-01-20 22:36

Hello,

What an incredible light! Congratulations!

Cheers

jusninasirun (17138) 2008-01-20 22:38

Hello Alvin,
Your something different turned out very well. I have been having the some problem with long exposure of the moon and I will post a shorter exposure of this beauty in two hours.

The composition here is very interesting and I like the stars which are well visible in this composition. The detailed rocks and foliage on the left made a good leading perspective to Vancouver. And Yes, the effect of pattern of ray or starburst on the moon looks good and the reflection is in a way might be better than the sunset.
Regards,
Jusni

aadilj (18080) 2008-01-20 22:46

Feels like heaven, the darkness, the deep rich hues, the silver moon, the silhouttes, the reflections. There's everything to make this one one of those ethereal shots which leave a lot of imapct

Matthew-Watt (6035) 2008-01-21 0:05

Hello Alvin,

Great to see so much natural beauty so close to a major city! The photo quality is a little bit grainy, but it is not a great issue. The best part for me is the silhouetted pines and the shimer of moonlight on the water below. The glint of the distant city is good also. Do you experience the 'Northern LIghts' in this part of canada? I would love to see a capture of that in a similar setting to this.

Matt

maglex (1980) 2008-01-21 0:14

Hi Alvin,

I like how you made the moon shine like that, very nice effect.

Thanks for sharing...

Alex

Floydian (30970) 2008-01-21 0:31

Hi Alvin,
Spooky nightshot which turns out pretty good with the 30 sec exposure. Love the small details like the citylights on the other side, but also the blur effect on the water.
In the old analog days i always made multi-expsoures on film to catch a long exposure and the moon in the right setting, in these digital days it's just pasted in the image....
Regards, Henk

delkoo (68) 2008-01-21 0:57

hi alvin,
i never tried to do moonlight photo, you have nicely done it, solid blue colors and silver reflections works well here.

cheers
didier

chpp (4281) 2008-01-21 6:42

Hi alvin
great shot. beautiful exposure and depth. and the reflaction also provides nice details in the FG. Very fine composition and excellent POV
cheers
chris

asajernigan (19669) 2008-01-21 8:20

Alvin,
This is a great night shot with a beautiful blue hour sky. The reflection of the moon on the rocks and water is magical. The lighting and colors are fine as is the sharpness and detail. The silhouette of the trees are great making for a fine photo.
TFS,
Asa

AlbGirl (0) 2008-01-21 8:56

How romantic. It's a beautiful shot. Great night colors. Love everything about it.

Eda

Dyerco (10185) 2008-01-21 9:24

Hey Alvin
It looks like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and the meteorite is headed our way. I've not tried any HDR but that sounds like a solution for sure. Great capture. Nice POV with the moonlight reflecting on the water and beach. The twilight sky is just right.
Phil

PixelTerror (0) 2008-01-21 10:44

Hi Alvin,
what I find interesting here is how the moon light reflected on the shoreline to lighten the scene foreground, also the overall brightness is surprising and as you note the moon is burned out, I doubt HDR would improve that, maybe a ND Grad ? Whatever the techies the atmosphere of this shot is priceless, I'd like to try something like that but the closest beach is about 800 kms away...
Have a nice day JY

Signal-Womb (13048) 2008-01-21 11:42

By the light of the magical moon Alvin. I love these kind of moonlit shots and here you have done a wonderful job. I maybe would have taken a second exposure for the moon but the star burst effect is great to. Composition is excellent here. Very impressive photography..

Fis2 (73100) 2008-01-21 12:50

Witaj Alvin!
Very interesting shot. Super colors and sharpness. Photo has climate. Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

plimrn (21344) 2008-01-21 18:46

Hi Alvin,
I like the star pattern a lot. When I burn out the moon, all I get is a flay white disk or at best a circular blur. How did you do that?? I also like the path across the water and the finger of rock crowned with trees.
HLJ, Pat

keribar (43841) 2008-01-21 21:55

Hello Alvin,
These days the moon is full and I also have the desire to on taking pictures at night. I was not able to find it near an interesting place so far. Because the weather is is clear and winter this is not too common in Istanbul: I would have sworn this was the sun when I saw the thumbnail, but you managed a great one at night: 30 seconds is quite a long time and the moon doesn't seem to have left a blur, neither the star.
I wish you a nice day - Izzet

ChrisJ (86862) 2008-01-22 0:33

Hi Alvin

Good sharpness & graphism, with a well managed exposure level. I like the dual reflections, of the moon, & the bg city lights, at right. Tfs!

jhm (122444) 2008-01-22 9:50

Hello Alvin,

Very long exposure with a very nice result.
Night pictures are always very difficult, light and dark parts are sometimes very difficult, but you did very well.
Also the reflections of the moon are very well, even the a few stars give a extra to the composition.
Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

leo61 (0) 2008-01-22 10:54

Hi Alvin!
Excellent lightmanagement and a wonderful atmosphere.I like the overexposed moon like it is and it`s reflections at the water.Good POV with a nice choosen foreground.
Regards,Leo

Ann75 (0) 2008-01-22 20:32

Hi Alvin,

Wonderful combination of still moonlit night and the lights of downtown in the distance. I don't mind this moon at all, it makes the scene look more bright. I love the reflections on the water, the silhouettes of the trees. Great work, Alvin!

Greetings,
Ann

zeca (19762) 2008-01-23 15:54

Beautiful scenery, Alvin! The whole atmosphere is nice and that reflecation is a very good detail. I like the blue mood. Well take
Regards,
Zeca

pierrefonds (48347) 2008-01-23 15:55

Hi Alvin,

A good capture of this area receiving the luminosity of the moon. The point of view is giving depth to the photo. The scenery is giving the impression of tranquillity. Have a nice day.

Pierre

carper (96) 2008-01-25 2:47

this i9s a good one Alvin.
your last shot I find to dark. this is fine well composed and very nice composition and the moon is doing well here, good photojob, have a nice day.
gr. jaap

ArtLook (2348) 2008-01-25 15:13

Hello Alvin,
I like the moon light and reflections here. This picture has some special magic atmoshere.. very well composed. Great shot, Bravo!
With BEST Regards,
Arthur

wilkinsonsg (8662) 2008-01-25 15:44

Beautiful scene, the subtle light from the moon makes for a compelling image - TFS :)

anes_lc (14968) 2008-01-26 4:48

such beautiful atmosphere ,the darkness and still such great light.great one ,like always in your gallery
thanks sharing,anes

danyy (0) 2008-01-26 14:49

Tout simplement magnifique Alvin,
une sacrée technique et beaucoup de feeling ici.
Quelle ambiance !!
Regards.
Daniel.

rgarrigus (0) 2008-01-30 10:27

This is a refreshing composition and light choice. The foreground looks great bathed in moonlight and I love the star effect. In my opinion this was the right choice for depicting the moon. I think that this image might lose some impact if you did a double exposure to keep detail. I might like the image even better without the distant city lights but I'm not sure.

This is classy!

Bob G.

Bluejeans (64231) 2008-01-30 12:29

Ola Alvin,
Que belo momento com o nascer da lua os reflexos ficaram muito bonitos as silhuetas das arvores ficaram fantasticas, parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo