A couple of weeks ago, on May 31, 2005, RandyMan, VanillaGirl, and a friend (Kenneth) went out for our very first Full Moon Photowalk. Much fun was had by all!
A few weeks prior, RandyMan had scouted out a great location for us to catch the moonrise over a beautiful hillside. He had researched the approximate location for the moonrise, on the horizon, and found our location based on that. Great job RandyMan!
We set out in the early evening, before sunset to get set up. Once we arrived, we scouted out a couple of possible locations that could have worked well. We finally decided upon a nice hillside, just about a hundred yards from the roadside. At this point, we knew that we had over an hour before it started to get dark, so we hiked back down for some roadside photowalking.
For me, this event highlighted why I love group photowalking. While we were scampering up and down the highway, RandyMan was able to share great tips and wisdom for shooting. I know that Kenneth and I were each able to grow and learn in just a short time.
But what made this event even more special was watching a father share his skill with his daughter. In the midst of our shooting, VanillaGirl was able to watch as three Christian men interacted, laughed, and learned.
Continuing on, we finished up on the roadside and decided to jam up the road a bit and shoot some great looking erosion.
If we ended there, we’d still have had a great photowalk. But we were there to shoot the moon, so as the sun was setting, we headed back up the hillside. (I’m sure I lost 10 pounds hiking up and down that hillside.)
Once in position, we experimented with shooting the hillside of the alleged moonrise. In the minutes before we could see any moon light, we shot some time-lapsed car lights traversing the windy road across the canyon from us. Many of those shots received “fave” markings on Zooomr.
During Zooomr’s two weeks in the wilderness, many of the committed conversed and got to know each other over the Ustream.tv IRC. During that time, we had unprecedented access to the likes of Thomas Hawk, Kristopher Tate, and even the great Robert Scoble. Scoble offered up some tips for shooting the moon back then, and many others tossed in their wisdom. I copied those logs and sent them to by Blackberry for safekeeping.
So, when we were preparing for the moon to rise, I grabbed my Blackberry and recalled the recommendations. They worked out well. I’m so glad to have such a great community of photography fans and experts.
We shot many great shots of the moon as it rose over the hillside. RandyMan’s 300mm helped him achieve some even closer shots than I, with my 200mm. None-the-less I got some great shots that I’m proud of and glad to share with everyone.
As the evening came to a close, we all seemed to be satisfied with our work. I know I am.
Take a look at our Zooomr Photo Set.
[edit note: Zooomr will occasionally be upgrading their toolset, so if the photoset isn't working, be patient and try again another time.]
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This summer, I’m taking my wife to Europe to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We’ll be in London for several days, and I’ve decided to join Phill Price in organizing a photowalk.
