Shoot the Moon

As is usually the case when I chase the moon, a few clouds obscured the moon as it began to rise. Abandoning plan A, I chased across the desert to frame the moon behind a huge Saguaro - I'm happy.


Plan A was to get the moon as it appeared just above the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale.  One or Two days before a full moon is the ideal time to shoot it. There is enough ambient light in the sky as the sun has not completely set on these days.  This enables you to properly expose for the moon without blowing it out.  Checking altitude and azimuth data on Photographers Ephemeris allows me to plan where I will be and when. No matter how much data I have, mother nature loves to play games with me, I'm convinced she especially loves to mess with photographers.  I welcome the challenge.