Pic(k) of the week 9: Burj al Arab MOONRISE - with Fujifilm XF100-400 lens
Yesterday, was my 45th birthday... Yes, this time of the year again! Sometimes one has to look after himself and by a nice birthday present...
So I decided to give Fujifilm some more of my money and picked up a brand-new XF100-400 f4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Fujinon lens. That is a long name! Well, it is a long lens as well; actually the longest focal length lens available right now and probably for quite a while.
Without boring you with more technical details (click here for my review), this is the lens I've been waiting for, for quite a while. It will be used in my Aviation Photography as well as, yes surprise, surprise... landscape work! I love to zoom in close on distance objects and use the compression effect of a long focal length to my advantage.
The first shot I took with the new lens was of one of the most famous landmarks in Dubai; the "7-star Burj al Arab hotel". I knew beforehand where the full moon would rise and used PhotoPills on my iPhone to determine the perfect place to stand on the Palm Jumeirah.
Unfortunately, there was a strong haze layer on the eastern horizon, leading to the moon only being visible about 15-20' minutes after moonrise. For me the moonrise over the Burl al Arab is a continuous work in progress; slow progress that is, since there is only one day one can shoot this scene. The night when the moon turns 100% and when it rises about the same time as the sunset time. Other days the contrast with the bright moon and dark foreground, makes it impossible to photograph in one single frame. One then also has to be lucky with the weather as well as not having other work/family commitments!
Yes, dedication in photography is shooting on the night of your birthday!
Yes, dedication in photography is shooting on the night of your birthday!
I do have a few other ideas of positioning the moon, but will have to wait till the next moon cycle... Patience in photography pays off!
Image details:
Fujifilm X-T1 with the XF 100-400 Fujinon lens
ISO 200, f8, 1/7sec, 312mm (468mm full frame equivalent)
RAW file developed in Iridient developer
Nik ColorEfex Pro4 for gradual neutral density and contrast
I would like the highlight that the image is single frame (no HDR or image blending); no photoshopping of the moon in the perfect place. To me, it is all about the perfect moment!
As stated in my lens 100-400 review, I'm very impressed with the sharpness of this long focal length lens; this image clearly illustrates it once again!
To me, the above image deserves to be part of my Architectural portfolio, which can be found here.
For those long time blog readers that do have a "Déjà vue", I did indeed shoot a similar image at a wider 200mm focal length just over 2 years ago; called "Moonrise over Dubai".
More Architectural images from Dubai live here.
Remember to "shoot for the moon, if you miss you will end up amongst the stars" - Brian Litrell
BJORN
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