Obsidian Moon (w/repost)

Gallery: LandscapePosted October 12, 2009368 views27 comments

Obsidian Dome near Mammoth Lakes is a giant pile of volcanic rubble. Climbing on its loose, talus slopes is treacherous and I got plenty of scrapes and bruises in the process. This is from the weekend of the CANP outing in the Eastern Sierras. As you can tell from the lenticular clouds, it was very windy so I decided a rocky place like this would offer a more stable subject (although I almost got blown off the rocks a few times). To retain some of the highlights, I blended a separate exposure for the moon.
As always, your thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks,
Rudy
D700, 70-300mm, @170mm
f6.3 @ 1/15 (1/100 for the moon)

Comments

27 comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on October 12, 2009 at 8:55 PM

I really like the sky, the moon and most of all the lenticular cloud. I wonder about cropping out the bottom half of the foreground to add a bit more emphasis to the sky.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on October 12, 2009 at 9:18 PM

totally freakin' awesome

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Nathaniel (Nat) Al on October 12, 2009 at 9:30 PM

'Really like this image for it sky color and cloud formation.

Registered on October 3, 2009, 9 Posts, 80 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on October 12, 2009 at 9:48 PM

Outstanding, Rudy. Great moon.

Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments

Comment posted by Chip Phillips on October 12, 2009 at 10:10 PM

Very interesting combination of elements. Nice work Rudy.

Registered on November 26, 2007, 128 Posts, 1436 Comments

Comment posted by Will Campbell on October 12, 2009 at 10:21 PM

Simple and evocative. Love it.

Registered on July 4, 2007, 38 Posts, 281 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Duval on October 12, 2009 at 10:38 PM

Rudy,

If I haven't said it already it was great meeting you at the gathering. It's amazing how many different places the photographers sook to get a unique image. ( Didn't think I'd ever get to use the past pluperfect of seek. ) Any way technically your image is really nice. What really make this "art" is the heavenly body above the land of the "damned." And the lenticulars are just the piece de resitance on an image already full of powerful symbolism.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 508 Posts, 1907 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on October 12, 2009 at 11:01 PM

This is very cool. That cloud looks like a flying saucer.

- Dan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on October 13, 2009 at 12:30 AM

Works for me Rudy, the cloud and moon are too good, and the otherworldly foreground fits right in. The triangular form in the LRC grabs my attention more than I'd like it to, I think, so might experiment with burning it, or cropping some of the foreground, or a combination of both.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Mat Malone on October 13, 2009 at 12:31 AM

Rudy, this is really cool! The detail in the moon is great. There's a great contrast between the soft colors and shapes on the top half, and the dark and jagged bottom half.

Registered on December 15, 2008, 91 Posts, 882 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on October 13, 2009 at 1:40 AM

That cloud is remarkable and the details in the moon amazing. Really like the jagged contour of the ridge line. Might consider cropping a bit from the bottom to put greater emphasis on the sky elements.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on October 13, 2009 at 2:16 AM

Very, very nice. Love everything about it.

Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on October 13, 2009 at 6:29 AM

Outstanding. Quite mesmerizing.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Dark on October 13, 2009 at 8:51 AM

I'd say your efforts were well-rewarded...this is incredible! The sky and cloud are just amazing. I would have to agree with other suggestions to crop the bottom just a bit to emphasize the sky. Great work!

Registered on May 27, 2005, 148 Posts, 1121 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 13, 2009 at 8:52 AM

Very nice Rudy.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on October 13, 2009 at 9:59 AM

Very original image, Rudy! That cloud is really enhancing the scene.

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on October 13, 2009 at 11:20 AM

Yes freekin awesome!

Mark

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on October 13, 2009 at 12:25 PM

Very graphic and impressive piece here, Rudy. Love it. I might take some off the top and bottom (or at least bottom) to give the areas of most interest even more attention.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Timothy Epp on October 13, 2009 at 12:59 PM

Nicely done Rudy; an excellent reward for those scrapes and bruises!

Registered on January 1, 2009, 72 Posts, 333 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on October 13, 2009 at 1:34 PM

Very Alien feeling Rudy, love that! Nice moon work. I'd use the bold fg textures on the horizon as the anchor. There is a lot of texture for the eye to bounce around wonder about obsidian.

Have you been on top of Wilson Butte since it seems pretty interesting just like this place. I always wondered what this place looks like though so thanks for sharing the awesome shot.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Good on October 13, 2009 at 5:21 PM

What a striking image! I like every thing about this unique looking image. Well done!

Registered on March 17, 2007, 116 Posts, 4764 Comments

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on October 13, 2009 at 8:05 PM

Really awesome comp. Well set up and executed Rudy

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on October 13, 2009 at 9:04 PM

The blend looks quite natural. Excellent light, and the moon and clouds are striking.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Ricardo La Piettra on October 13, 2009 at 9:46 PM

Absolutely amazing scene Rudy, one of the best images i´ve seen in a while.
Cheers.

Registered on July 22, 2009, 62 Posts, 730 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on October 13, 2009 at 10:42 PM

The moon and the sky look great. I agree that at least 1/3 of the foreground from the bottom up should be cropped to create a more powerful and evocative image.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Rudy Ruberti on October 13, 2009 at 11:43 PM