From a photo project springs a thought about not giving up.
I’ve been so busy lately I didn’t have time to go out and make an image for this weeks theme of “Blue,” for the 52 Week Photo Project, sponsored by LensProToGo, that I’m participating in. I’ve tried to create images each week that fit the weekly themes, but as mentioned in my last post, I’ve been a little busy with another project, so it was off to the archives.
After searching through my Lightroom catalog I came up with this one, an image I titled
“Moonlight Cruise.”
While deciding to use this image, it occurred to me just how close I came to not being around to make it.
Is moonrise without the moon really moonrise at all?
I had planned the shoot down to the last detail. I knew what time moonrise was supposed to be, most importantly, using The Photographer’s Ephemeris, I knew where it was going to rise and where I needed to be to get the shot I was after.
I headed to the coast in hopes of capturing the May 5th “Super Moon” rising behind the Isles Of Shoals, a small group of islands off the coast of New Hampshire. But the moon seemed to have other plans.
Unfortunately, there was a large bank of clouds out on the horizon as I arrived at the coast. That was not going to be good for the photo I wanted to make. But I didn’t have a plan B.
Patiently I waited. Moonrise came and went, no moon. Five minutes, ten, fifteen minutes passed, still no moon. My wife texted me to see how it was going, and I told her I might pack it in and head home. I was going to give it a few more minutes, but since the shot I wanted wasn’t going to happen I didn’t see the point in sticking around.
Peek-A-Boo!
With one last look before I started packing up, I thought I saw a glimmer of light in the clouds. So I waited. Sure enough, the moon overcame its stage fright and gave me a little peek.
Then a little more…
This was starting to get interesting.
Almost all there…
Unable to distinguish the clouds from the sky due to the light, the moon seemed to appear out of nowhere. If I hadn’t seen the clouds on the far horizon when first arriving, I would not have even known they were there.
Finally…
The “Super Moon” finally comes completely out of hiding behind the curtain of clouds. After all the waiting, I didn’t get the shot I came for, but I left with something totally unexpected, completely different, and I think better, than the shot I had originally planned for. I had absolutely no idea that ship would be in the area, that was a bonus I hadn’t even considered.
That few extra minutes, that’s all it took to make what I thought was going to be a wasted trip and turn it into a very successful one.
Persistence pays.
Jeff Sinon Photography 
What an amazing post and a stunning capture!! I gave up due to clouds that night, and now I wonder if I should have been more patient :). Thanks for sharing this with us!!
Thank you very much Cindy.
If I hadn’t seen how low the cloud bank was when I first arrived at the coast I almost certainly would have given up early. As you can see, the clouds simply blend right into the surrounding sky with no indication of a break in them anywhere.
Absolutely stunning.
Thank you for sharing these!
Absolutely Thank You, Joy! 🙂
Brilliant Jeff! One of your best.
Thank you yet again Madhu.
Stunning images, Jeff. I need to take the title and put it into practice. Thank you for sharing these.
Thank you, and you are welcome. I need to listen to my own advice more often as well. There’ve been several sunsets that I’ve had it all packed in just a little too early and missed the best show.
These are truly breathtaking and it DID pay :). Congrats my friend!
Thank you Paula, “breathtaking” is always nice to hear!
Great post Jeff and great images. Well worth the wait.
Thanks Jim!
Great shots Jeff… Always good to get a stunning shot when you least expect it. Makes all that time put into planning the shoot worth while.
Thanks Ian, but even with all the technology available these days mother nature can still throw a wrench into the works and mess things up. 😉
Nice! My super moon photo looks similar, save for no moon 😦 I seemed to have had the same problem with the haze but then a thunderstorm rolled in and let loose so fast I could even save face with a maybe a lightning shot. However, mine wouldn’t have been over the water and that is an excellent catch in the reflection and holding the exposure so the moon didn’t brighten too much. Well worth it!
Thanks Brandon. I won’t lie, I was a bracketing fool that night 😀
Bracketing, a small dose of ETTR, and keeping a very close eye on the histogram made all the difference.
Breathtakingly beautiful!
Thanks Lucy! I like the sound of that 😀
There is a quote that says, ““Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.”
You’ve got both going on. WOW!! 😀
THANK! Sticking it out was tough, when moonrise came and went, I almost did too. I’m glad I stayed. 😉
So are we … we get to drink in these amazing shots! 😀
Thank you yet again 😀
Nice shot! The atmosphere looks peaceful and relaxing…
Thanks Paul. Except for the fact I thought the moon might be a no-show because of the clouds it was very peaceful.
Breath taking shots of tranquility! You make me soooo jealous!
Thanks Ioanna! I feel the same about your art so lets call us even 😉