I had made plans beginning in May to be here for the full moon in September. I was a bit worried about getting the camping permit from the Navajo Park Service, so I called them to see if this could be accomplished by mail. They told me that it could, but it was more complicated that way since paperwork containing carbon paper would have to be sent through the mail, then returned. They assured me that it was much easier to pick up the permit in person, as I passed through the town of Cameron, on my way to Coal Mine Canyon. "No problem" they told me, "just be at the Cameron Visitor Center between 9 and 5 on a weekday - we'll be here". So when I showed up just after noon on Thursday 9/19, the Visitor Center was closed and locked - there was a sign on the door which read "Office will be closed 9/18-9/20, Staff on Travel". I briefly considered my options and decided to go there anyway - if I get caught without a permit I'll just explain what happened and show them the photo I made of the "we're closed" sign. As it turned out, I saw no one from the Navajo Park Service there, and just one other tourist who snapped a few photos and left. So much for planning and execution! Anyway, I had a great time at this special place.
Needless to say, I love what I see here. I am very much envious.
Question is.. are these shots just one shots, especially the first and the third?
Well at least they put a memo saying.. "Office will be closed 9/18-9/20, Staff on Travel".. not because of the shutdown..
show more pictures.
Thanks,
Kee
Very cool location. #1 for me, followed closely by #3. Personally I would add a bit of glow around the moon, instead of a darker blue sky to make it a bit more natural.
Cool! I love seeing shots from Coalmine Canyon. I've been there a few times and never saw more than a few people poking around. I'm not sure how valid a Navajo permit is there. I think it's still disputed between Hopi and Navajo.
As for the moon in #1 . . . if you're using Photoshop, you can do well with a 'selective color' channel and adjust the levels of blue/white at the moon to get it balanced without needing much for brushes. You can also use it to tweak the yellowness of the moon pretty easily. I tend to like a more white moon even though this one was probably pretty yellow being close to the horizon.
Moonrise over Coalmine Canyon is a spectacular sight for sure. I think I like #2 the most. I'm a fan of having a foreground element in those kinds of environments. The light is a little flat without the sun or clouds, but you could massage some shadow into place in the 'deeper' parts of the canyon to add depth.
You got some cool shots here. With #1 I like the suggestion from Justin about the moon. I would say these are well done, but both #1 and 3 could use the ground part of the shots darkened some. They seem a little too bright.
Nice shots of one of my favorite places. I've been there several times, but never at full moon. Like others, I would prefer a whiter moon. Also, my impression is that most of the canyon is on Hopi land, and so far they don't seem interested in managing visitors. The picnic table area, where most people go, might still be Navajo. I've never gotten a permit and never had a problem. On the other hand, the Hopi have tossed me from Blue Canyon without a permit (which seems tough to get).
Kee Woo Rhee wrote:
Needless to say, I love what I see here. I am very much envious.
Question is.. are these shots just one shots, especially the first and the third?
Well at least they put a memo saying.. "Office will be closed 9/18-9/20, Staff on Travel".. not because of the shutdown..
show more pictures.
Thanks,
Kee
The first photo is from 2 images - one exposed for the whole scene and a second exposure about 3 stops down just for the moon. I'm not sure where I picked up the dark halo, I didn't notice it until parsons mentioned it.
The third image is one shot using a 2 stop graduated ND.
Oct 07, 2013 at 07:53 PM
Mark Metternich Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
