Lucky Shot

Some photos are just lucky. Right place, right time. No planning. All you have to do is push the shutter release button. But let me share a couple photos from the day before my lucky shot. This would have been last Wednesday.

I was walking to the school to pick up my granddaughter and noticed these wild clouds. This is straight out of the camera (in this case, my old iPhone 6).

Then I noticed the moon rising on the horizon.

Nearly a full moon, but not quite. I made a mental note to check the time of the moon rise for the next day. Using my "real" camera with a telephoto lens, I might get lucky and get some dramatic shots of the moon rising through misty, colorful clouds. At least that was my goal.

Fast forward 24 hours to last Thursday (the first full moon of 2020). I'm ready! I've hiked up to a nice lookout point, I have my camera and telephoto lens. But, unfortunately, the sky is hazy and there's a low cloud cover.

Not nearly as pretty as Wednesday night's sky. Oh well, looks like dramatic moon shots aren't on the menu tonight.

Pointing my lens from east to south provides a totally different view over central Orange County. The low clouds add a bit of drama. The buildings on the left are (among others) UCI Medical Center. Moving a little right I think I can make out the spire of the Crystal Cathedral poking up from behind a building (I think it is now called Christ Cathedral). On the right side, I see a gaudy-looking building that I think is part of Disneyland. Perhaps part of the new Star Wars section of the Park? And when I enlarge the image, I can definitely see the top of the Matterhorn to the left of the gaudy building.

Back to why I'm here... the moon. As it rises on the horizon, there is less haze now. I decide this would be a good time for a close-up using max power of my telephoto lens (400mm). As I'm focusing, I notice a little bird or something flying in front of the moon. Without thinking, I fire off a couple shots.

Ha, that's not a bird! Talk about a lucky shot!!

As I start to head back home, I take one final shot of the moon. The trail takes a sharp drop just beyond this point, hence the "watch downhill speed" sign. I pack up my camera in my backpack and start back.

Wait... just one more. I want to capture that golden light as the sun slips behind the trees. OK, now I'm done.

Wait, just one more! For this one, I was already driving home but couldn't resist pulling over as the moon was silhouetted behind the tree branches.

Really, I promise, one final shot!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for stopping by!!