Full Moon
Fishing Light
The full moon and lighthouse presented a dramatic backdrop for a couple preparing to fish off the pier at Kewaunee, Wisconsin. When ready, they would cast a seine net over the side and illuminate the surface of the water with their lantern, hoping to attract small Lake Michigan fish – smelt.
The evening was much darker than it appears in this image and I was a lot farther away than one would think at first glance. I was on shore which put the lighthouse about 750 feet away. The moon had to be at least three or four times that far. 😉
To view a larger version, simply click on the photo.
Larger Light Looming
As powerful as the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse lamp may be, it is no match for the power and majesty of the full moon of March 27, 2013.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well this image turned out; at how clearly the Fresnel lens of the lighthouse can be seen. The surprising part…this photo was taken from the shore. Anyone familiar with the Kewaunee lighthouse knows the lighthouse sits at the end of a very long pier that extends 750 feet from shore.
To get this image I used a 300mm lens with a 2X teleconverter (effectively doubling the reach of the lens). It is simply luck that the focus was as sharp as it is since I had to focus manually. (A number of other shots that night were not so sharp.) Under low light conditions, particularly with the teleconverter, the camera’s auto-focus doesn’t work.
Normally, without the brightness of the full moon behind it, the lighthouse lamp would show up as a big, bright white blob.
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Tidal Moon
A late-summer full moon rises over Lake Michigan, just behind the pier and lighthouse at the mouth of the Algoma, Wisconsin harbor.
I captured this image on September 30, 2012. I remember it was a late Sunday afternoon when the Green Bay Packers were playing the New Orleans Saints. It was a close game and I debated whether to miss it and hope for a good photo or just stay home and finish watching the game. I listened to it on the radio as I drove to Algoma, but I missed the end of the game because I was out near the beach taking photos.
When I got back to my van, I heard the Packers won 28 to 27. I hated to miss the game, but I’m glad I did. Full moon photos like this don’t come along every day.
To see a larger version of the main image, click on it.
Backlighting II
A full moon rises above Lake Michigan behind the lighthouse at the mouth of the Algoma, Wisconsin harbor.
I consider this a companion image to a sunrise I captured in a similar pose – both taken within a week of each other. The original “Backlighting” is on the right. Click it to view the full size post.
Getting the moon (or sun) in just the right position is a challenge in itself. You don’t realize how much movement there is in a rising or setting sun. The moment you get into position, the subject has moved off their mark. On both of these shots, I would be constantly moving to my left and down the bank along the beach, trying to line up the shot.
To see a larger version of either images, just click on them.
Lighthouse Companion
A full moon rising over Lake Michigan was a complimentary, short-term companion to the lighthouse at Kewaunee. Moments after this image was taken, the moon slipped behind some clouds. Kewaunee, Wisconsin is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
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Full Moon of Mystery
This was supposed to be the Perigree Moon of 2012. For all my efforts, I was unable to capture it full and unhindered.
On this particular evening, I went to the shore in Kewaunee, WI. I was hoping to catch a nice view of the moon rising near the Kewaunee lighthouse. As you can see from the photo to the right, thick clouds kept that from becoming a reality.
The large image above is the best shot I was able to get after the moon had moved up in the sky – still shrouded by the clouds. It’s not what I was going for, but I kind of like the mysterious look of it.
For some reason, this photo actually reminds me of another photo of mine which, ironically, is an image of the sun: Sailing Past the Sun
To see a larger version of either image, just click on it.
Luminescence
The recent full moon put on a spectacular show. My schedule didn’t allow me to grab a good view of the moon rising, but being an early riser, I was able to get some images of it setting. This is a view of it as it was setting behind a distant tree line near my home.
To capture this image, I used a 300mm lens with an additional 2X Teleconverter.
To see a larger version, click on the photo.
Night Lights of Kewaunee
This nightscape features the lighthouse at Kewaunee, WI – on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The full moon was shrouded behind a layer of clouds.
I didn’t realize it until I was preparing this post…. If you use a little imagination while looking at the moon behind the clouds, it can look like the head of some kind of creepy ghoul. (I see two eyes and an open mouth. Yikes!)
Night Vision
A week ago the moon was full, temperatures were freezing and I was standing in the dark along Lake Michigan’s shore in Kewaunee, WI. I’ve never attempted to shoot the Kewaunee pier and lighthouse from this angle before. I’ll have to try it in the daylight, possibly for a sunrise, sometime.
I worked a bit to try and correct the color of this image. Unfortunately, the mercury vapor lights of the city give everything a reddish tint that I wasn’t able to tone down much without making the rest of the colors look strange.
To see a larger version of this image, simply click on it.
Behind the Veil
I was looking forward to getting some photographs of a lunar eclipse last weekend. In our area, the effects of the eclipse might be visible just about the time the moon reached the horizon, early in the morning.
I got up early and checked the skies. The moon was full, bold and bright. I checked the outside temperature. It was around 10-degrees above zero. That was much colder than I wanted to deal with for the time I would be spending outside trying to capture the eclipse at is peak. I started our van and let it warm up. When it was time to shoot, I packed my camera bag and tripod into the back seat and drove to the end of our driveway…where I could open the side door and shoot in relative comfort.
Just as the moon was nearing the horizon, a band of clouds rose and obscured my view. If there was any eclipse effect, I didn’t see it. Of course, I took a lot of photos anyway and this is my favorite of the bunch.
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