Chasing the Moon

How often do you go looking for a particular shot, only to come away with something completely different? Sometimes better, oftentimes not as good as you were hoping. I guess the point is, as photographers, we have to stay flexible and look for opportunities as they present themselves.

This last Saturday there was a nearly full moon with a scheduled moonrise at about 6:30PM on a compass heading of 97 degrees. In my minds eye I could picture a big, beautiful moon very low on the horizon rising over Highway 62 as it makes its way east in the vast open desert east of 29 Palms. It would be one of those hauntingly beautiful desert shots.

Well, it didn't quite turn out according to plan. Not even close. As I drove east, I couldn't find the perfect spot. So I drove further east. And further east. I finally ended up all the way out in the Scorpius Arch area before I said enough is enough and parked the Jeep. Still no sign of the moon, so what the heck, let's go take a look at the arch in the late afternoon sunlight. I've only hiked to Scorpius Arch once before (here).

About halfway to the Arch, the moon finally showed its face. The winds from the past couple days had made the sky hazy, so the moon was not visible until it was higher on the horizon. So much for my huge-moon-sitting-on-the-highway plans!

One of the Topaz Studio filters

Whoa... wait a second! Look at all those beautiful nooks and crannies in the rocks! Why didn't I notice this area last time I hiked to Scorpius Arch?? This photo is just a placeholder to remind me of a future exploratory hike.

The view north toward the Sheephole Valley Wilderness.

Thar she blows... Scorpius Arch!!

May be my best shot of the night... moonrise as viewed through Scorpius Arch. Not the shot I had originally planned, but I'll take it!!

I climbed around on the rocks to view the arch from a different perspective and was rewarded with this shot of the setting sun through the arch!

Driving home, I spotted the moon rising over these mountains (not sure of the name, or if they even have a name). I couldn't resist stopping for a  quick shot. As I set up my tripod, I had two bats flickering around me. Very strange, and they came in quite close to where I could almost touch them. There was no chance of getting a photo with my telephoto lens because of their quick, jerky moves. So here's a cell phone shot. The black splotch is one of my little bat friends!

The photo above is actually close to the shot I originally set out to capture. I needed some Photoshop help on this one because I'm traveling west and the moon is actually behind me! Anyway, this is a composite of two photos from the evening, and what the moonrise over Highway 62 would have looked like had it been visible. Best laid plans!!

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