Rise of The Blue Moon

Blue Moon is term for the second full moon in any given month. The phrase ‘once in a blue moon’ is supposed to indicate a rare event – thought the blue moon sighting is actually once or more in around 3 years. And no – the blue moon is no where near blue. Actually it was having a more warm yellowish glow, as it was rising behind the Mt Hood.

This shot was from Jonsrud view point at Sandy, OR during the blue moon on Aug 31,2012.  Photographing the moon at times can be quiet intimidating. U might be tempted to treat it as night photography. The moon being a source of light can appear just as a white blob if not exposed properly. If you are planning to shoot just the moon, then a long zoom and couple of tips could get your started. Shooting it along with the landscape require a bit of planning. On that particular day, the moon being slated to rise just 30 mins prior sunset, created a very conducive and magical light. The beautiful colors were just as such and created by the alpine glow of the setting sun on the opposite side. The full moon, clear skies, the alpine glow – everything just came together. Enjoy the blue moon, as it rises :)

This shot required some pre work : being at the right place and at the right time made all the difference. The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) – a nifty software available for both desktop (requires Adobe AIR) and mobile, greatly helped in finalizing the shooting spot and also the location / time of the moon rise across the horizon.

P.S: This was taken from the same spot from where this sunrise was shot, wow how much of a difference light can make !

Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : 3 stop Neutral Density Filter
ISO 100 : 70 mm : f8 : 0.5 sec

Buy Print Jonsrud Viewpoint
Sandy, Oregon, USA

8 Responses to “Rise of The Blue Moon”

  1. Beautiful image Sathya. I love the way you’ve composed this.

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    • Edith – It was a magnificent and humbling, I was glad to be shooting with a zoom that helped avoid the time loss due to lens changes. That flexibility really helped try different composition in the few moments that the magic lasted :)

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  2. Oh Wow. :) Breathtaking!

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  3. This is an outstanding shot Sathya! The composition and exposure are perfect! I have used TPE for awhile now and it is a tool any natural light photographer should have!

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