Sunday, December 6, 2009

Moonrise

Sometimes the picture you are looking for is in your rear view mirror.

Karen came into the family room and said "Quick...full moon and it is huge!" I grabbed the camera with the telephoto and ran outside....the moon was obscured by trees...the sun was setting so I only had a few minutes.

Jumped in the car and drove out on the two lane near our house...I was headed west into the sunset...as I looked into the rear view mirror, I saw the picture I wanted. It was a lone farmhouse with the moonrise directly above it. stopping the car in the middle of the road, I jumped out and grabbed a shot before the sun set...the timing was perfect. The warmth of the setting sun shown on the house and the setting sun low on the horizon lit the moon directly east. With the sun in the west and the moon in the east...the moon reflected the suns' brilliance for a brief time.

So often those adrenaline pumping almost accidental shots are the ones to treasure. I can stand and pose a picture in my minds eye...take all the precautions to correctly expose it, get the composition just right and hope for the best. But my minuscule attempts can never compare to Natures' display.

It was a short trip home and to the computer...I had my post for the day.

Dan

28 comments:

shabby girl said...

LOL!!! How many times have we all thrown aside laws of the road, our sanity, and logistics, just to capture that shot??? Awesome! It made me laugh because often I have Hubby doing stops and starts in the car when I see something interesting.
Karen sounds like she's right on board!!!

Lesley said...

You describe a familiar scenario, Dan- I've so often felt thwarted and frustrated to see THE perfect shot from the car and be completely unable to stop. It's like "the one that got away" for a fisherman.
So glad you were able to reel in this one!

DawnTreader said...

Perfect picture, wonderful colours...!

I had to laugh at your narrative. I don't have a car so I can't drive off like that to chase the right background; but last week one morning a spectacular sunrise got me out of the house before I was supposed to go out... and then I discovered I there was a full moon in the west as well... (One of the sunrise pictures is on Soaring today and the moon will be in my Picture Book tomorrow. I don't really have enough zoom to get good pictures of the moon but I still can't resist trying anyway...)

Dan Felstead said...

Shabbygirl...I can imagine our antics sometimes catching shots of your critters!

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Hazydaisy...it IS like the one that got away! That is a great comparison! We all have those shots that would have made us millionaires...but it slipped through our fingers!

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Dawn Treader...I saw your sunrise and looking forward to the moon! It is amazing the variety of subjects you take pictures of without a car to get around!

Dan

jennifer black said...

What a wonderful photo. And a great story, too.

Funny--the word verification for this is "apath." You found yours with this photo. ;-)

Sunny said...

When my husband and I go anywhere he always allows extra time because he knows I'm going to keep having him stop in hopes of capturing the 'perfect' shot!
It looks like you already did! Fantastic picture.
Sunny :)

Dan Felstead said...

Jennifer...great to hear from you. It is funny how the verification words many times relate!

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Sunny...it is amazing that our spouses stay with us! Of course I guess that is better than sex, drugs and rock and roll!

Dan

septembermom said...

Gorgeous. I'm so glad that you were able to capture the moment so beautifully. That view is a gift from nature for all of us.

Marc said...

Gorgeous photo :)

Cynthia L. H. said...

Perfection. See? These amazing opportunities for spectacular shots keep presenting themselves to you.
;^)
(Another one for my houses "wish list.")
;^)

Dan Felstead said...

Septembermom...Nature is a great gift giver!
Thanks,

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Thanks Marc...I appreciate the comment.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Cynthia...I think that list is getting pretty long! Thanks for the kind words and have a great Christmas.

Dan

myonlyphoto said...

Dan did I ever tell you that moon is my favorite object on the sky, lol. Amazing photo, I love it. I often do to see the scenarios I want to photograph, but my husband is usually too slow on the breaks, and we can never go back, lol. Anna :)

Dan Felstead said...

Anna...your husband is probably a much safer driver than the rest of us!

Dan

dianne said...

And it is such a beautiful photo Dan, I am so pleased that you were able to catch that moment.
It reminds me of the time I was driving around the streets where I live trying to capture the many colours of the setting sun, there were a lot of stops and starts of the car but I did manage to get some lovely photos for my blog. ♥

Dan Felstead said...

Dianne...yes sometimes it takes that extra effort and if we are lucky...it pays off! Although I don't know how safe it is sometimes!

Dan

Heather said...

An absolutely stunning shot, Dan. I like to hear that your wife is in on the fun :) This photo is definitely a special gift for you.

Dan Felstead said...

Heather...Karen doesn't take many pictures but she is often a great source of ideas for pictures.

Dan

The Lly Dilettante said...

Dan,

This is a really cool photo. The moon is so huge! and while the sky is so bright too.

_we_the_pieces_ said...

this looks like the cover to a novel that i've read... but i can't think of it!!!

Dan Felstead said...

Lly...the timing was right...early enough for the moon to be magnified by the atmosphere and it reflected the light of the setting sun.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

We the pieces! How are things going for you out there in sunny California? If you think of the book...let me know.

Merry Christmas

Dan

LC Bat said...

That's frikkin perfect. PERFECT. I don't think it GETS much better than that pic. Rock on.

Dan Felstead said...

Well Thanks Leah! The house is out on Copperline road if you know where that is.

Also I got the message you sent Zach about my photo appearing in the Newspaper...I saw it! That was a surprise. I submit photos to their site from time to time but never realized that they choose to post some of them. I noticed that several of my pics had been posted to the site! Thanks for the heads up.

Dan