In the Shadow of the Moon

My photo entry to Bob Johnson's Daytime Crescent Moon Contest.

Bob Johnson at Blackholes and Astrostuff held a Find and Photograph the Daytime Crescent Moon Contest--click the linky to see the winning photographs.

My entry wasn't particularly remarkable. If Laughlin air force jets hadn't just happened to be zooming around our skies (and into frame) that evening I wouldn't have even submitted my shot.

I don't have a telephoto lens for my camera and can't get the best shots of anything as distant as zooming planes or the moon. Also, it didn't occur to me to do anything artistic with the photo (not sure that I have the skills to have done something interesting with this shot anyway) like the other entrants did but, still, Bob put me in second place with two other winners whose shots were really quite remarkable and I am anxiously awaiting my prize!

What do I get for placing second? A dvd copy of Ron Howard's In the Shadow of the Moon. WOOT! I can hardly wait! THANK YOU BOB!

First place winner in Bob's contest is Living Infinitely. His prize? 50 pair of Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus 3D glasses. Yup, you read me right.

My co-second place winners were Nature Shadows and Dreams and Idaho Photo, both of whom will also be receiving In the Shadow of the Moon.

Speaking of the moon and shadows, late yesterday afternoon my friend Jean and I drove out to Tularosa Road. She showed me the most beautiful spot out there--a place I didn't even know I could go. I was blown away. As long as I've been going out there (because of Jean, or I wouldn't have known about it) I never knew that I could just turn onto this little dirt road and drive right up to the creek where the sycamore trees (Jean showed me what those are yesterday) are abundant. We were losing the light fast so I didn't get a whole lot of photos taken, but it was gorgeous out there! We even got cold. COLD! It was in the high 70's yesterday afternoon and we were both delighted to be chilled as the sun fell.

Moon behind a sycamore

A tributary to the West Nueces Creek? Or perhaps it's the West Nueces itself, I'm not sure.

The two landscape shots are good examples of photos that are great for artists who need a reference to work from but unremarkable for a photographer. An artist can take these ho-hum scenes/photos, combine them with her impressions and perceptions, and turn them into amazing pieces of art.

It's interesting going out to shoot with a painter. I was telling her that I never understood until I started learning about photography why some things simply can't be photographed--they must be painted to be communicated. She pointed out that, as an artist, she had learned that there are some things that just can't be painted, they have to be photographed.

And because I'm all fired up about the moon today after my big win, I ran out to the cemetery to shoot the moonrise. Too many clouds to shoot it while was low enough on the horizon to be magnified, oh well.