Moonlight and Mono Lake

September 18, 2003

Monomoon Provided by: Wally Pacholka Summary authors & editors: Wally Pacholka The above photo of Mono Lake was taken just before midnight, in moonlight, on July 8, 2003 (five days before the Full Moon). Mono Lake is near Lee Vining, California, which is north of Mammoth, near the border with Nevada. You would think that this shot was taken near mid-day, but it was indeed close to midnight. It's interesting that this time exposure in moonlight generated almost the same effect as daytime lighting, giving the full daylight color spectrum. Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America (more than 700,000 years old) and has no drainage outlet -- it's a closed basin. A 35mm Fuji S2 digital camera was used, with 35mm lens set at F/2.8, with a 8 second exposure. The moon was 5 days before Full Moon which was July 13th. Related Links: More of Wally's Photos About the Moon Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve Mono Lake Webcams