Last fall I was in a popular Eastern Sierra location to photograph autumn aspen color. I had arrived before sunrise, while it was still pre-dawn twilight. I began photographing before the sun came up, continued through the arrival of first direct light, then moved on to some other nearby subjects. As I continued to work I could not help noticing that the full moon was setting in the western sky.
Eventually it hit me that the moon’s trajectory had it heading toward this rocky ridge. By moving my position just a bit I was able to align myself so that it would “land” on one of the high prominences. When I began photographing the moon was still well above the ridge, and I continued to work until it disappeared into the cleft in the center of the frame. In the end, I most likely this image of the moon sitting right on the summit plateau of the left peak.
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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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