# Arches National Park -- at night



## yorgasor (Feb 8, 2014)

I arrived in Moab last night. I noticed the clouds had blown away, so I went out for a little hike to Delicate Arch. Just my luck, the clouds came back, and didn't start clearing up until I was almost done with my hike.
Afterwards, I went up to the arch viewpoint where I saw the stars. I thought I could try a short star trail photo using my telephoto lens, but it was really quite windy there and the trails were pretty ragged. One thing is for sure though, when the stars were out, you could see all of them! I wish I could find a place back home without all the light pollution.

For the record, with long exposures in the moonlight, some of these you'd never know it was shot in the middle of the night. Also, you always hear about the great light at sunrise/sunset. I've never once heard how great the light is at moonset, it's my new favorite time (although it may only be effective away from light polluted areas).




Moonlit Bridge by yorgasor, on Flickr




Delicate Arch by yorgasor, on Flickr




_MG_3215 by yorgasor, on Flickr




Cabin at night by yorgasor, on Flickr


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## surapon (Feb 8, 2014)

Wow, Wow, Wow, Dear Friend Mr. yorgasor.
GREAT PHOTOS, GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER, GREAT POINT OF VIEWS---You should work for the National Geographic Magazine.
Thanks you , Sir, to share this awesome picture with us.
Surapon


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## yorgasor (Feb 8, 2014)

Oh, and it's an absolutely lousy idea to go hiking at night in unfamiliar territory. You may think your eyes adjust and you can see everything just fine, but your depth perception is extremely limited. The trail to delicate arch is very difficult to follow over rocky ground, and I ended up getting to the arch the wrong way. It was so wrong, I almost didn't make it back. The area around that arch is very treacherous at night. I couldn't go back the way I came (the clouds covered the moon and I had even less light) making it very difficult to judge how steep things were and if I could really cross in a place or if I'd just slide down that deep bowl.

I was consigned to sleeping in a crevice in 30 degree to protect me from the harsh winds before I decided to look one more time for the real trail back and found it. 

And whatever you do, don't try to take a picture of the arch from this southern side. Actually, this angle from either side is a horrible idea, especially at night.




Delicate Arch from the South by yorgasor, on Flickr


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## endiendo (Feb 22, 2014)

You are very dangerous..
the last part of this trail is dangerous and require care, even at day.
at night, it's very risky..

But very very nice shots anyway ...


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## yorgasor (Feb 22, 2014)

Yeah, I've decided now that if I ever go on a night hike again, I'll scout the area in the daytime first to see if it's a good idea to try at night. It was really foolish of me to try exploring an unknown area at night.


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## CarlTN (Feb 22, 2014)

Great job! And yes, moonset light is more effective in low light polluted areas, but it works pretty well when it's a full moon even if there is a bit of pollution. Not sure I agree that moonset light is "better" than sunset...but it's different, and obviously depends on a lot of other factors such as the clouds and moisture in the air...similar to the effect on sunset.



yorgasor said:


> I arrived in Moab last night. I noticed the clouds had blown away, so I went out for a little hike to Delicate Arch. Just my luck, the clouds came back, and didn't start clearing up until I was almost done with my hike.
> Afterwards, I went up to the arch viewpoint where I saw the stars. I thought I could try a short star trail photo using my telephoto lens, but it was really quite windy there and the trails were pretty ragged. One thing is for sure though, when the stars were out, you could see all of them! I wish I could find a place back home without all the light pollution.
> 
> For the record, with long exposures in the moonlight, some of these you'd never know it was shot in the middle of the night. Also, you always hear about the great light at sunrise/sunset. I've never once heard how great the light is at moonset, it's my new favorite time (although it may only be effective away from light polluted areas).
> ...


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## petach (Mar 5, 2014)

Sorry, posted wrong place....not sure how that happened.


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## Jeffbridge (Apr 2, 2014)

Beautiful captures; excellent series!!


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## Pieces Of E (Apr 2, 2014)

Yes, an awesome set of photographs and a cool story to go with them. I'll put Moab on the wish list, but might go when it's warmer than this out. Too old to shiver to death. Killer shots indeed.


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