Thursday, July 2, 2015

Where's the Moon??

Last night should have been perfect for moon photography. Full moon and a moonrise at 7:45 PM. Having the moon rising about the time the sun is setting can make for some dramatic sky shots. I grabbed camera bag with lenses and tripod about 7 PM and headed to a local hiking trail to get set up. I was even prepared to try something new: I had the compass setting of the moonrise (112 degrees) and the compass on my cell phone all ready to go. In theory, this should tell me exactly where the moon will rise (between trees, behind a hill, etc.) and allow for a dramatic shot setup.

 Only one problem I didn't foresee (generally not a problem here in S CA) was a big cloudbank off to the east, which totally obscured any view of the moon. Oh well, best laid plans...
It wasn't a total loss, as the skies were beautiful and I got some exercise! I thought the cloud in the above shot was very strange looking.
Looking east... the moon should have been visible just to the right of this photo, but you can see how cloudy it was.
This is a very popular place to ride mountain bikes, and last night was not exception. They were zooming all over the place!

 It became obvious to me at some point that the moon was going to be a no-show. Hiking back to my car, I stopped to take the fence shots (below). It was getting dark, so these are long exposure tripod shoots. I really like the way they turned out, and perfect for linking up with Theresa's Good Fences!
Selective focus on the little red flower, and fully open aperture for a shallow depth of field, helped with this shot.
Big tree roots make this section of the trail interesting (although mountain bikers probably don't like them much!)
Also linking with Skywatch Friday. For those who celebrate it, have a great 4th of July weekend!
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34 comments:

  1. Charlene N. K.July 2, 2015 at 2:03 PM

    You've captured amazing clouds though even without the moon. And those fence shots are so beautiful!

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  2. TexWisGirlJuly 2, 2015 at 2:20 PM

    very cool and very dreamy shots! the moon missed out! :)

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  3. Author R. Mac WheelerJuly 2, 2015 at 2:21 PM

    ohhhhh, love those skies.

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  4. leanne can blogJuly 2, 2015 at 2:34 PM

    beautiful sky!

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  5. eileeninmdJuly 2, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    Beautiful sky shots, I love how the clouds are looking just lovely. Looks like a cool place to ride the bikes. Happy 4th of July to you and your family.

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  6. eileeninmdJuly 2, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    Beautiful sky shots, I love how the clouds are looking just lovely. Looks like a cool place to ride the bikes. Happy 4th of July to you and your family.

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  7. John @ Beans and I on the LooseJuly 2, 2015 at 3:02 PM

    Your fence fotos made up for the no-show moon.

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  8. Gemma WisemanJuly 2, 2015 at 3:29 PM

    Stunning sky colpours and shapes. Love the scenic atmosphere in the first photo.

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  9. JimJuly 2, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    Great sky.

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  10. Photo CacheJuly 2, 2015 at 3:34 PM

    Love the photos.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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  11. IdaJuly 2, 2015 at 4:34 PM

    You've got some great fence shots here. I did think that was in interesting cloud in that first shot. Loving the 2nd shot with the fence/cacti and those last two were just wonderful. Very artistic and well done.

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  12. Yogi♪♪♪July 2, 2015 at 4:37 PM

    I love your spirit. If you can't take photos of what you came for you shoot what you can see.

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  13. LVJuly 2, 2015 at 6:50 PM

    No matter what the skies did , you captured some awesome sights.

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  14. CloudiaJuly 2, 2015 at 7:02 PM

    MARVELOUS clouds!!!!


    ( '>
    /))
    //""

    ALOHA
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  15. JoyfulJuly 2, 2015 at 9:52 PM

    Fantastic!

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  16. Lina GustinaJuly 2, 2015 at 10:26 PM

    Impressive skies. Wonderful shots.
    www.womenandperspectives.com/2015/07/lining-trees-and-blue-sky.html

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  17. Laura~Pretty PixJuly 2, 2015 at 11:48 PM

    Sorry you missed the moon, but you captured some great images... I really like the last one.

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  18. CountryMumJuly 2, 2015 at 11:55 PM

    I missed the moon too last night. You captured some incredible images just the same. Love them.

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  19. Billy Blue EyesJuly 3, 2015 at 12:21 AM

    Best laid plans don't always work out but yours were not a total loss were they

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  20. Margaret Birding For PleasureJuly 3, 2015 at 12:42 AM

    these are brilliant and very beautiful sky shots and I LOVE the fence shots.

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  21. Hootin AnniJuly 3, 2015 at 2:36 AM

    Pretty scenes...all the way through. I especially liked the fence lined path...that's like something from a classic piece of literature...Sleepy Hollow? Or something in that genre. Loved it.

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  22. AlJuly 3, 2015 at 5:16 AM

    The best-laid plans... but you got some great shots - that one cloud formation is very strange.

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  23. AmyJuly 3, 2015 at 3:16 PM

    oh wow - the colours! think the 2nd one is my favourite :-)

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  24. Kenneth Cole SchneiderJuly 3, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    You were rewarded with some wonderful sky views despite the Moon's no-show!

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  25. A Colorful WorldJuly 3, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    That's a shame. Great cloud shots, though, and the fence shots too. Awesome!

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  26. IreneJuly 3, 2015 at 4:26 PM

    Awesome sky shots! Happy 4th of July :)

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  27. fredamansJuly 3, 2015 at 4:34 PM

    Beautiful collection.

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  28. HeatherJuly 3, 2015 at 10:28 PM

    Beautiful photos -- sorry the clouds foiled your moon shots.

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  29. maryaustriaJuly 4, 2015 at 3:22 AM

    An amazing series of photos! Awesome skies and colors!

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  30. John's IslandJuly 4, 2015 at 7:02 AM

    Hi S P & P, You sure got some neat photos despite the cloud bank. And then a perfect entry for Good Fences. I appreciated your thoughts about advance work to see exactly where the moon would rise. That kind of effort will surely pay off on a future expedition and I'll look forward to the results. Happy 4th of July to you and yours.

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  31. giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•.July 5, 2015 at 12:52 AM

    Magnifiche foto !!!

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  32. WayneJuly 5, 2015 at 5:00 PM

    Great fences. In spite of eh no-show, you have some gorgeous colors and clouds.

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  33. KellyJuly 6, 2015 at 5:32 AM

    ...I love the fence shots...especially the little red flower!

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