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The Moon and the Monument
The Moon and the Monument
levyj413


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Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Cold (Basic Editing)
Collection: Best
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED
Location: Washington, DC
Date: Jul 18, 2008
Aperture: 16
ISO: 100
Shutter: See notes
Galleries: Cityscape, Architecture
Date Uploaded: Jul 19, 2008

 The Washington Monument at 70mm and the moon at 200mm. Both at F/16, focused on the moon. At that aperture, the Monument's still plenty sharp.

This shot relied on the same technique as an earlier entry, which I wrote up as a tutorial.

What's fun is that the moon was to the right of the Jefferson Memorial, about 90 degrees to the right of where it appears in this shot. Look at the diagram in this tutorial to see how the Jefferson and the Washington Monument are placed. This shot was taken pretty close to that one.

For each of my 6 or so attempts, I exposed the moon for about a second, then kept the lens covered and swung the camera on the tripod, then exposed the Monument for about 12 seconds (but that's not precise, since I was counting in my head).

Many thanks to the folks who gave this shot a chance in voting. Yes, DC is very hot in summer, and it was a warm, sticky evening. But I thought of using white balance to make it blue even while shooting, and I cooled the WB even more in editing. Even so, I admit it was on the border of not meeting the challenge. Thanks, too, to the commenters who said it was outside the bounds but still let me know they liked it as an image on its own.

Statistics
Place: 28 out of 115
Avg (all users): 5.8455
Avg (commenters): 6.7778
Avg (participants): 5.6061
Avg (non-participants): 5.8877
Views since voting: 1563
Views during voting: 378
Votes: 220
Comments: 17
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
Canon EOS-6D
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS
 07/30/2008 08:42:09 PM
Nice strong composition and good use of white balalnce to get the cold blue tint.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark IV
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 USM
 07/30/2008 04:28:18 PM
What a stunning photograph! Wow!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-60D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 07/30/2008 09:12:03 AM
This is such a beautiful shot. I'm glad it placed well.

And just as a side note, it looks a WHOLE lot colder than nights in San Antonio
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D810
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR
 07/30/2008 07:12:45 AM
This is a great shot , not many I feel appreciated the effort you put in to get the shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus E-5
Olympus 7-14mm f/4.0 Zuiko Digital Zoom
 07/30/2008 12:39:44 AM
Nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital
 07/30/2008 12:07:27 AM
Great photo. Nice job eliciting the analytical responses too. And I guess you were right - you were beating me in the beginning (go see that flickr thread) and you've beaten me in the end lol.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Nikon D300
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
 07/28/2008 11:34:21 PM
I am very skeptical about this photo abiding by Basic Editing rules... It's really nice, but I would like to see the original.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
 07/26/2008 09:58:38 PM
gorgeous! the blue tones add a definite chill to the photo
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 ASPH
 07/25/2008 12:44:55 PM
Interesting that you entered this in the Cold challenge, since DC in the summer is anything but...
The blue cast on this is lovely.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D800
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
 07/24/2008 07:04:51 PM
Depth of field is impressive here, as this cannot be only a wide angle shot that was cropped,so, I would guess at least 150 to 200 mm focal length, that would require a very small aperture for this kind of dof (f22 or bigger?) which leaves me with the doubt about the ISO, it would have to be very high since the moon does not show motion blur, but then, there is no noise at all and the moon does not look 'nija'd out'!!!. Lots of un-answered questions and I can't wait to see yur settings. Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D810
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 07/24/2008 12:19:47 PM
BEautiful job! I'll be interested in the details as how you got this as my attempts to get both building and moon always fail.10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D50
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6
 07/23/2008 10:37:26 PM
Amasing night shot, I wish I could get shots like tyhat
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax K-R
Promaster 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 XR IF
 07/23/2008 09:44:37 PM
Back to comment: A wonderful image but it really doesn't convey the concept of cold to me. It doesn't help that I know it is hot and humid in DC this time of year. Good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D70s
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
 07/23/2008 09:43:48 PM
Love how you capture the scene
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D80
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX
 07/23/2008 01:18:33 PM
Its a really nice photo of the Washington monument, but it doesn't scream cold to me the way others in this challenge do. I predict you'll do pretty well, though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D3s
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 07/23/2008 07:50:15 AM
When I look at the moon I don't think cold. Actually the temp on the moon can vary from 251F to -250F. But again looking at the moon I don't think to my self brrrrr. Great shot though
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-50D
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
 07/23/2008 05:26:15 AM
Not finding the "Cold" in this otherwise lovely image
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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