Washington
I’m constantly searching for that perfect tree; their shape and form completely fascinate me. After days on the road my persistence paid off. Discovering this magical tree was awesome, but it needed more. I checked the weather app for possible sunrise or sunset times but heavy clouds and snow in the forecast could prove to be catastrophic. I looked again, but this time I concentrated on moonrise times. In 5 days, the moon would be full. If all lined up, the vision of the moon illuminating this mystical tree would be phenomenal. I had to wait.
Two days before the full moon was about to make her appearance a massive storm had ripped through the area leaving about a foot of snow on the valley floor. This still did not deter me from attempting to capture this magical shot.
The day had finally arrived, I sat glued to my weather app which was telling me to expect partial clouds. I was nervous to say the least. As I traveled to the location, I found it was difficult to get to the area due to storm that had passed through. My blood was pumping as I drove along the muddy and icy road slipping and sliding around wondering if I could even get to my spot. There in the distance was my tree. As I got closer and closer to it, I saw the snow was in pristine condition. One of my worries had been overcome. Now I had to find the perfect position and align myself with where my app said the moon should be rising. After I felt comfortable with my alignment, it was now time to pick the perfect lens. I needed a longer lens to compress the image in order to make the moon appear bigger against the tree. My only concern now was the weather. I was extremely edgy because I still had light clouds moving through my shot. I was tense, too much cloud cover and the shot would be gone.
As evening fell and the moon started to rise the sense of fear slowly faded into the distance. I had a glimmer of hope. The clouds were acting as a natural diffuser for the moon. Time was of the essence, in-order for me to get this shot I was going to have to shoot multiple exposures. This shot would not be possible without it. Now as the moon was rising quite rapidly, I knew I had to get each exposure bang on, one wrong move and I would have done this all for nothing. My hands were clumsy due to the freezing temperature and the wind. The air was crisp, and I was careful not to breathe too much in order to keep moisture from hitting the lens. My moment was here, and I hit the shutter cable with pure instinct as the moon kept rising on her journey into the evening sky, then the moment was gone.
I knew in my mind I had captured that perfect moment. My persistence and patience had finally paid off.
45 Artist Proof / 950 Limited Edition
