Unusual Color Cast

Back on November 6th was a full moon. I happen to notice the rise of the full moon was forecast for 5:04 pm and the sunset was forecast for 4:59 pm. I needed to find a place to experience this. I chose County Road 13 which is a dirt road about 10 miles east of town. It was a bit cooler than I expected but I was dressed for it. There are a couple of trees that I enjoy using in my sunrise images so I thought I’d use them for the moonrise images. After quickly setting up I began the wait. For some this is a boring time but I sort of enjoy it. I listen to and watch the birds near me. I was setup to catch the moon on the eastern horizon but all the activity in nature was happening behind me in the west. On the west side of the road were the gulls, ducks, geese, red-winged blackbirds, a huge owl, a red-tailed hawk, and about a dozen pelicans were having a party on and along the shores of Timnath Lake. I didn’t get the email about the party.

As I listened to the ruckus behind me I noticed the western sky began to take on this eerie look. That may have been what everyone was excited about. I grabbed the tripod and headed over by the cattails. I took my time and made five images in about a 3-4 minute time period. It was a short period of time but the color and the mood of this image is what touches me inside. For some it will be a boring image, drab and dull. But for me it was a moment where nature offered me a one time scene and imprinted it in my soul. I did little more than compose, increased the exposure 1/3 stop and shoot. The moonrise did happen and I did get a few images but this is the one I liked.