I could claim to have planned this shot weeks in advance, but that's not the case! A friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook earlier asking for moonrise times and rough position for her location, a little to the south of Vancouver, and then casually asked if it would line up with Mount Baker.
My first thought was 'yeah, right!' -- while it would obviously line up with Mount Baker from somewhere, the chances of it lining up close to home seemed pretty optimistic, but it was but the work of a moment to check, and discover that while it didn't, it was surprisingly close!
The next few minutes put my trigonometry to the test, as I worked out the distance to Mount Baker from the Vancouver area (about 95km), the height of the mountain (3,286 metres), and from that, how far it would be above the horizon (almost exactly 2 degrees). I knew the diameter of the moon was roughly 0.5 degrees.
I was then able to plug that into The Photographers Ephemeris and figure out the path where the moon would line up with Mount Baker when it was 2.25 degrees above the horizon, and discovered that the Boundary Bay Dyke Trail would provide me access to the exact spot I needed!
As the afternoon drew on, the haze increased more and more. My friend decided the conditions didn't look promising enough, but I knew that I'd regret more not going and finding out it was good, than I would if I went and got nothing. Plus, how else was I going to validate my calculations?!
Arriving about 15 minutes before the calculated time, and surrounded by a swarm of flying creatures ranging in size from midges to dragonflies, I was pleased that I could at least see Mount Baker, although I could certainly have wished for less haze. Setting up my camera and tripod on some very boggy ground, I wondered if the moon would be visible through the haze, or if it would need to get higher to be seen. You can imagine my delight as, right on time, the moon began to rise behind the mountain! Taken right as the sun set, the last rays were still lighting up the top of the mountain, giving it a pink glow.
This is a single exposure, taken at ISO 100, f/11, for 0.2 seconds, using my 300mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter for a total focal length of 420mm. Click on the photo to view it on a black background for best effect!
I'm a British software developer and photographer living in Vancouver, BC. I mainly photograph landscapes, cityscapes, night scenes, and water.
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Instant Fav! This is the best moon shot I have ever seen which has not been created in Photoshop! Wow Alexis I love your work and so admire the effort you put in to find the perfect place to go for your shot! Simply stunning! Huge Fav!
Wow! You deserve all the faves you get for the trouble you go to to get the right shot. This is so good. Love it! Big Fav! It's great looking at all your photos as we are coming over to Vancouver in 3 1/2 weeks time, then going on to Banff to see the Canadian Rockies. Can't wait!
Alexis- as always your mathematical skills and tech know-how amaze me! This astonishment of course occurs after I've been blown-away by the phenomenal shot! This is so beautiful, of course I fav'd it. But I just wanted to add that the inspiration of shots like this has propelled me to finally upgrade my point and shoot to one that allows me to take moon shots. Obviously, it's not the caliber of this shot, but I was so excited to finally get a shot of the moon after dreaming about it for so long. Thanks for the encouragement you've offered in the past and the inspiration you offer now.
When I saw this shot of Mt. Baker I knew it was yours! Super Fav! Your calculations sure paid off! I'm going to be in the San Juan's in another uweek so I'm hoping for good photo ops!
I enjoyed your write up nearly as much as the image. I bet your friend is really kicking herself having seen your great image. For me including the reflection on the water is the icing on the cake.
