blazer

Setting Moon, Crested Butte, Colorado

We were packing up to leave for home, when I spotted the moon setting behind the mountains. I ran out and captured this image just before it disappeared behind ...
Read more

We were packing up to leave for home, when I spotted the moon setting behind the mountains. I ran out and captured this image just before it disappeared behind the ridge.
Read less

NIKON D7000

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 100 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 2000/10

upload_date

Mar, 2019

Views

Likes

Awards

2020 Choice Award

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

Peer Award

All Star

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in South Crested Butte, Colorado.

Time

This is in the morning, with the nearly full moon setting behind the mountains in the west.

Lighting

The lighting was soft and warm, as the sunrise was just making its way up and over the mountains behind me in the east. You can see in the photo that the light was working its way down the mountain into the valley as the sun rose behind me.

Equipment

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 70-200 telephoto lens, handheld.

Inspiration

We were staying at a friend's cabin in South Crested Butte. I was making breakfast when I noticed out the window that the nearly full moon was descending quickly towards the mountains. I grabbed my camera and ran out to where I could get a clear vantage point. I was just able to grab a couple images before the moon disappeared. I love that it tells the story of both the rising sun and the setting moon!

Editing

Very little. Nikon raw files tend to be more dull in appearance, simply because the camera processor is trying to capture the most digital information, not trying to take the best photo. So I just reduced the muddiness in the raw file, and brought the color saturation back up to what I saw with my eyes. I really didn't need to do much, because the early light was soft, not harsh. There is a lot of contrast, due to the heavy shade in the valley below, but instead of trying to lighten the foreground, I left it as is, preferring the contrast that makes the image more dynamic in my view.

In my camera bag

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-50 and 70-200 lenses, circular polarizer, 10-stop neutral density filter, tripod.

Feedback

Keep your eyes open for those beautiful brief moments where everything comes together to tell a story. Practice seeing through your eyes, composing a scene from wide angle to telephoto even before you bring the camera up to your eye. That way, when you're running to get the shot, you're ready to go when you get into position!

See more amazing photos, follow blazer

blazer

blazer

Setting Moon, Crested Butte, Colorado

We were packing up to leave for home, when I spotted the moon setting behind the mountains. I ran out and captured this image just before it disappeared behind ... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow blazer

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

We were packing up to leave for home, when I spotted the moon setting behind the mountains. I ran out and captured this image just before it disappeared behind ...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.