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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Nine: Using dramatic light at the fringes of the day > Full moon, Mount Shasta, California, 2008
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13-SEP-2008

Full moon, Mount Shasta, California, 2008

Night has fallen, and the moon is full. I exposed on the brilliance of the moon itself, yet still was able to retain the shapes of the pine trees acting as nature’s cathedral just below it. I did not use a tripod – the moon was bright enough to allow me to use a fast shutter speed of 1/250th of a second, and still use a 250mm telephoto focal length. When shooting images of the moon, it is important to use a focal length that will make the moon large enough in scale to show detail and command attention. In this case, the moon does both. The moon is still low enough in the sky to relate to the trees, and show a trace of warm color.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/250s f/4.0 at 54.1mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis03-Oct-2008 18:50
Thanks for seeing this image as a metaphor for celebration, Celia. To me, those rising and falling pines function very much as musical notes. You even use the word "symphony" here. I agree -- both photography and music rely heavily on tension to build mood and meaning. This image descends and soars simultaneously.
Cecilia Lim03-Oct-2008 16:41
I second Tim's comment about the tree and the moon. There is a wonderful tension here that spices up this calm and beautiful night. I also love the repetition and rhythm of the trees-they create a symphony that seem to be serenading and celebrating the rising moon above it.
Phil Douglis27-Sep-2008 18:46
Thanks, Alina. I know how much you enjoy making moonscapes and am glad to share this one with you. And thanks, Tim, for seeing the importance of the relationship between the moon and trees. As I implied in the caption, the shapes of the trees act as nature's own cathedral here. Each tree is a steeple of sorts, gradually descending as the moon is ascending. I move my vantage point so as to place the moon precisely over the point of that last and shortest tree. There is considerable tension in the negative space between that point and the moon. You see the tree as a spindle, while I see it as nature's way of pointing to the heavens. Either way, the image works as expression.
Tim May27-Sep-2008 17:51
I like the interaction of the moon and the tree under it - I know, because I was there, that the moon was rising, but my imagination almost sees the moon impaling itself on the tree. Sort of like those old metal things you impaled papers on in an office.
Alina27-Sep-2008 13:51
Beautiful composition and details. Lovely shot Phil.
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