Blue Moon

The image of the moon was taken the night before the total eclipse. We had a storm moving in and I knew I wouldn't have a good opportunity to see the eclipse the following evening but the clouds were in perfect condition to take a "scary moon" photo.

I used my 400mm lens, handheld, braced against the top of the car to take the photo. There was nice definition in the clouds but the moon was a bit fuzzy so I started with a round of the High Pass filter, then changed the blend mode to overlay and reduced the opacity to about half to get the detail I wanted in the moon. I then used filter/blur/surface blur to smooth out the BG a bit, masking off the moon. I did a slight contrast adjustment to bring out the light and midtones in the surrounding clouds and then put the image into Topaz InFocus, modifying their "common" preset until I got the details in the moon that I wanted. Final thing was a 25% blue photo filter over the top that enhanced the blues that were already there.

Hoooooowwwwl......

I can hear the werewolf!

Using the blue filter on this was a great idea....it really helps create the proper mood! I think you were probably going for 2/3 light and 1/3 dark with your crop but if this were mine, I'd take a small slice off the bottom.

Jules,

Greetings. Very cool. I particularly like the clouds. I can imagine a huge moon just over a tree filled ridge (or not :-). Hand held, too!

Cheers,

-Yamo-

Ken, actually, I was more worried about getting the moon in the ROT's position so it wouldn't be too underwhelming. I can see where a bit off the bottom would work. :D

Michael, I agree...seems like the Blue Ridge Mountains should be at the bottom, doesn't it?

Very dramatic. I agree using the blue filter was a great idea. I like the crop as it with the bright moon presiding over the dark night.

Very nice, Jules! I love the dramatic scenes you get when the moon is surrounded by clouds...note to self: I need to try photographing it myself sometime. :D Nice blue color tones. I could go either way on taking a little off the bottom, but I would prefer a little more room to the sides so that it's not as square.

Thanks Christopher...this is a normal 8x10 format - guess I could go with a 7x10 for the extra room. I'll take a look at that!

Jules
Wow....this is terrific. A lot of work went in to this one....and the final product is outstanding. Now I think I'll go howl at the cats!!

Julie, I like it just the way it is - it's very dramatic. I like the darker areas on the bottom and the way the moon glows.:)

Mysterious and dramatic blue moon indeed! The sky, the clouds and the details on the moon adds to it. Excellent composition.

Julie, I really like the way you used the clouds and enhanced the details. Really adds to the image! Thanks for the work flow info. :)

Look out tonite...:2eyes2:. Nicely done image, the moon is sharp and the clouds make it even more ominous..TFS

Jules, Very cool look to your moon image. I like the colors and the clouds. I might take a small slice off the bottom if it were mine.:)

Hi Julie, a very nice moon shot. Love the clouds around it too! :)