In October of 2010 I was on Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park and I had planned to photograph Half Dome from there to create a panoramic photo. I attempted to make this panoramic from four separate 4x5 sheets of film on a view camera. I screwed up and made my exposures before the sun set and the film could not handle the dynamic range between the foreground shadow of the dome on the trees and the sky. Then true sunset occurred revealing the Band of Venus and the Earth Shadow. Out of film, I resorted to using a Nikon D2x. Disappointed as I was, the only saving grace was the D2x did save the day. Since that time I always thought it would be great if I could get the entire Milky Way arching over Half Dome as seen from Sentinel Dome, but never could imagine doing that with film.
Last month when I conceived the photo of the Milky Way from Glacier Point and executed it resulting in the photo titled Heaves and Earth (Here), I reminded myself of capturing a panoramic from Sentinel Dome. After seeing what a little bit of artificial light did for Heavens and Earth, I wanted some natural light on land because there is no artificial light that can do the job from Sentinel Dome. So I waited for a night where the moon was still in the sky after sunset but not so full as to make the sky to bright and it still needed to be roughly behind me as I face east.
That day occurred on Saturday July 19th with a moon that was 28% illuminated and was situated in the south-west at the tie of sunset and would be in the sky for about three hours after sunset giving me enough time to work out the proper exposure and capture the necessary frames to make the panorama.
As I was processing all the files I captured that night, I had a hard time deciding which of the panoramas I liked best and that showed the scene best with the most realistic feel. I was going to post these as a simple photo critique and ask which version was preferred. But the panoramas that I made spanned the whole time I was there and so it felt more like a project than a single photo.
So here is the time progression from the start of true sunset until just before the moon had set.
Creative Direction
Ultimately I just wanted to come away with a single panorama that showed the Milky Way arching over Half Dome. So, if you would not mind giving me feedback on which photo best depicts that I would appreciate it.
Self-Critique
I was concerned particularly to make sure I had enough sky captured so that I did not cut off the top of the arch, I did have to tilt the camera upwards. I think I tilted more than needed and because of that I had to sacrifice the foreground. I might have to go back and try this again.
Feedback Requested
Does the truncated foreground diminish the sense of place, particularly Half Dome and Yosemite in general.
Youssef, all of these have their own merit. My favorite is #3 because the light at the edges (from distant towns, I assume) is limited in brightness and because there’s no shadow cast in the middle of the foreground. It always amazes me how strongly a little light from towns (even small towns) far away show up in a night scape. I wonder how the foreground would look with no moonlight? I do enjoy the falls to the right of Half Dome (I’m guessing that’s Bridle Veil…my last Yosimite visit was in the 1980s…). In #6, the sky looks great and light on the left edge is well controlled, but I miss the extra land at the bottom.
Youssef, this is a great series of images. I think my favorite is 4, it has better definition in the sky, and still has that wonderful foreground. I also like the sky in #6 a lot, but like Mark I prefer having the additional foreground.
All of these six panos are beautifully done and could stand alone on their own merit as each one is a moment in time towards the main event. My favorite is #6 as I love that nighttime sky filled with all of those stars and there is still some wonderful soft light on the landscape.I also like the darker clouds over Half Dome rather than the brighter ones in the other versions as they tugged at my eye a little. It would be nice if you had a little more along the bottom, but it is by no means a deal breaker for me. You put a lot of thought and effort into this series and it definitely paid off.
Man are these good. I love all of them but for different reasons and wow, are they different.
My favorite is image 2 by far. I just love the colors, I love the position of half dome and I can see Vernal Falls but I can’t see Nevada Falls. But mostly, I love the love the soft blue tones in the sky, the vibrant greens just right of half dome getting kissed by the light, the slight magenta along the horizon, half dome lit fairly prominently, clouds over clouds rest, and the warm light falling on the horizon rocks to the right of half dome. I also love the light just barely kissing the pine trees in the foreground. This is easily and by far my favorite.
For the MW images my favorite is number 4. You can still tell it’s Yosemite and yet you also have the MW fairly well lit up and a few stars with beautiful color in the sky. The foreground is also well lit providing more of a sense of place than the last two MW images.
I suppose I like number 6 third best but I start to lose a sense of where this is. I don’t really feel Yosemite unless I really pixel peep but the MW and the stars are really well showcased here. Mind you, I am nit picking to the nth degree so take this all in with that in mind. Again, I love all 6 images but I do have favorites.
Is that June Lake loop throwing all that light or is it Mammoth Mountain? I guess it could also be Lee Vining. Crazy how much light is visible from those relatively small mountain towns.
I would say it does in image number 5 and 6 simply because it’s so hard to even see half dome but it’s not even close to a deal breaker.
Wonderful images and a fantastic project! My favorite is #4, largely because of the “blur hour” feel, but I can’t fault any of them. I applaud your drive to accomplish this and your technical perfection!
Hi Youssef, Milky Way shots are something I have yet to try. In truth it is quite a difficult prospect to contemplate in Scotland as 95% of the year we have usually got moderately heavy cloud cover. Summer is undoubtedly the best bet, though it only stays dark for a short while.
I like no. 4 the best the colours seem to be the most natural to my eyes and nothing is too glaring in respect of other light sources.
