This is from August, 2005. EXIF available. Exposed for the clouds instead of the moon.

That is just beautiful!!

Hey Buddy,

Very nice composition. I 2nd Julie. Beautiful.

James

What a cool shot. I really like the exposure on the clouds and the way they wrap around and behind the moon.

Dave

It is different alright, and lovely. I can't work out the wraparound effect if the moon does not have clouds, but that just adds to a nice sense of mystery.

Appreciate the comments - thanks!

Quote:

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I can't work out the wraparound effect

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Agreed - at first it would appear that the moon is rising between two big cloud banks, one in front and one behind. Of course this is not physically possible. Both cloud banks are between my camera and the moon but the lower density of the second cloud bank allows the moon to shine through. Overexposing the moon (exposing for the clouds) allows the moon to dominate the second less dense cloud bank, thus creating the illusion that the moon is in front of it.

This is the most interesting of a whole series I shot over a 15 minute period. As the moon rises a bit higher the reality becomes obvious.

Here's another image from that series that will hopefully illustrate what I was trying to explain above:

The images above beg the question, "Why not shoot two exposures - one for the clouds, one for the moon - and combine them?"

Here's one, plus a rough GIF animation that breaks it down (click to enlarge).





There's a full moon coming soon (8/26/07). Would there be interest in a thread for those who are interested to post and discuss their own August, 2007 full moon photos?

Follow this link for help calculating exposure settings based on moon phase: http://www.shaystephens.com/moon_calc.php

Why the full moon?

It's true that more surface detail is available during phases other than full but the full moon is a greater challenge for testing and improving one's photographic skills. So, this is a little monthly game I play with myself - a way of conjuring up a challenge.