Sony a7III converted to 720nm Infrared, 24-105mm, Singh-Ray 10 Stop Mor-Slo ND; 82mm, using a Singh-Ray step-up ring 77mm – 82mm, 4-second exposure.
The best laid plans can often go awry for us landscape shooters, but experience has taught me that when life throws you a lemon, make lemonade.
Such was the case late yesterday afternoon at the iconic William Randolph Hearst Pier in San Simeon, California, home of the famed Hearst Castle.
This image was not originally on my radar when I left my home in Morro Bay and headed north up the beautiful and scenic Highway 1. My original concept was to capture the moon (88% waxing) alongside Hearst Castle as it rose over the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain Range a bit past 5pm.
I’m still learning this stretch of the Big Sur Coast and had chosen a location that would line the moon up with the Castle. One problem, when I got to the location, I could no longer see the Castle as a smaller hill was blocking my view. I immediately drove south to the first pullout where I could once again see the Castle and then took out my phone (I had two bars of service) and opened up The Photographer’s Ephemeris. Just as I thought, the moon is at its furthest southerly point of the year and would be nowhere near Hearst Castle until November from my new location.
Now it was scramble time. I had to look for a location that would work with the moon which was quickly rising.
Before we get to that part of the story, I will explain why I went moon hunting before the actual full moon. Two reasons really: 1.) my Sony a7III camera has been converted to Infrared 720nm by LifePixel. This allows me to capture the higher end of the light spectrum that our eyes cannot see process the image as a black-and-white IR and 2.) it turns blue skies black. It’s the same effect Ansel Adams achieved by photographing blank blue-sky day landscapes and moons with a Kodak #25 Wratten Filter on black-and-white film.
This image was not originally on my radar when I left my home in Morro Bay and headed north up the beautiful and scenic Highway 1
I was at Point Piedras Blancas (elephant seals) and headed back south on Highway 1 towards San Simeon. The cool thing was I could see the moon and the approaching fog seemed to be burning back.
I knew if I could get to the Hearst Pier, located below the Castle, that I would have a chance at positioning the moon over it as it is a south facing beach.
Luckily, the moon was already high in the sky but not so high where it would look too detached from the pier.
After capturing a few vertical frames with my 200-600mm, I decided to swap out to my Sony 24-105mm. This lens does have a hot spot (lighter portion in the center of the frame) if it is set to an aperture of f/8 or smaller, but fortunately the focus on the moon and pier held at f/5.6.
After reviewing frames and thinking that I nailed it, one more thought entered my mind: try using a Singh-Ray 10 Stop Mor-Slo Neutral Density filter to smooth out the ocean and the breaking waves.
Time was of the essence as the moon was climbing higher, but I attached my 82mm 10-stop ND to my 77mm 24-105mm lens via and step-up ring that Singh-Ray makes. Problem solved! The filter allowed for a 4 second exposure which in-turn allowed for the smooth look of the ocean I was going for.
This was my second to the last frame of the shoot as a good set of waves came through. Needless to say, dinner tasted good that evening as the fog covered the entire area within my 25-minute drive home.
NOTE: Processing this image involved the following software: Lightroom CC, Photoshop 2023, Nik Viveza 3; TK 8 Panels.
The best laid plans can often go awry for us landscape shooters, but experience has taught me that when life throws you a lemon, make lemonade.
Such was the case late yesterday afternoon at the iconic William Randolph Hearst Pier in San Simeon, California, home of the famed Hearst Castle.
This image was not originally on my radar when I left my home in Morro Bay and headed north up the beautiful and scenic Highway 1. My original concept was to capture the moon (88% waxing) alongside Hearst Castle as it rose over the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain Range a bit past 5pm.
I’m still learning this stretch of the Big Sur Coast and had chosen a location that would line the moon up with the Castle. One problem, when I got to the location, I could no longer see the Castle as a smaller hill was blocking my view. I immediately drove south to the first pullout where I could once again see the Castle and then took out my phone (I had two bars of service) and opened up The Photographer’s Ephemeris. Just as I thought, the moon is at its furthest southerly point of the year and would be nowhere near Hearst Castle until November from my new location.
Now it was scramble time. I had to look for a location that would work with the moon which was quickly rising.
Before we get to that part of the story, I will explain why I went moon hunting before the actual full moon. Two reasons really: 1.) my Sony a7III camera has been converted to Infrared 720nm by LifePixel. This allows me to capture the higher end of the light spectrum that our eyes cannot see process the image as a black-and-white IR and 2.) it turns blue skies black. It’s the same effect Ansel Adams achieved by photographing blank blue-sky day landscapes and moons with a Kodak #25 Wratten Filter on black-and-white film.
This image was not originally on my radar when I left my home in Morro Bay and headed north up the beautiful and scenic Highway 1
I was at Point Piedras Blancas (elephant seals) and headed back south on Highway 1 towards San Simeon. The cool thing was I could see the moon and the approaching fog seemed to be burning back.
I knew if I could get to the Hearst Pier, located below the Castle, that I would have a chance at positioning the moon over it as it is a south facing beach.
Luckily, the moon was already high in the sky but not so high where it would look too detached from the pier.
After capturing a few vertical frames with my 200-600mm, I decided to swap out to my Sony 24-105mm. This lens does have a hot spot (lighter portion in the center of the frame) if it is set to an aperture of f/8 or smaller, but fortunately the focus on the moon and pier held at f/5.6.
After reviewing frames and thinking that I nailed it, one more thought entered my mind: try using a Singh-Ray 10 Stop Mor-Slo Neutral Density filter to smooth out the ocean and the breaking waves.
Time was of the essence as the moon was climbing higher, but I attached my 82mm 10-stop ND to my 77mm 24-105mm lens via and step-up ring that Singh-Ray makes. Problem solved! The filter allowed for a 4 second exposure which in-turn allowed for the smooth look of the ocean I was going for.
This was my second to the last frame of the shoot as a good set of waves came through. Needless to say, dinner tasted good that evening as the fog covered the entire area within my 25-minute drive home.
NOTE: Processing this image involved the following software: Lightroom CC, Photoshop 2023, Nik Viveza 3; TK 8 Panels.
Don Smith Photography