Moonlight becomes you..
Arriving at Porthnanven in the Cot Valley at around 4.45am last Friday, having got up at 3 :|, I was rewarded with a very near full moon shining on the sea turning it a steely blue. I was soon joined by fellow blogger, Poppy and we quickly set about unpacking gear. We were both struggling to take our eyes off such a beautiful scene while getting tripods fixed and focus points found with the help of a torch, shining on the giant sized pebbles. With the waves crashing and the good ozone filling our lungs, it was difficult not to just sit, drinking it all in.
We were there to take photographs however and we set to it. Not having taken this kind of shot before, it was all a bit experimental but I’m quite pleased with the result. Waiting out the full 5 minute exposure, by the time I’d done a quick check and thought, ‘I’ll try a few more of those, perhaps a slightly longer exposure and a very short one to give me two images I can merge in Photoshop’, the clouds rolled in and this turned out to be my one shot at getting it right. I’d have liked the opportunity to merge a couple of images to give a nice clear, crisp moon but.. Well, I’ll be back. I hope you enjoy the picture .. ;-)
24mm f/11 271 sec. ISO-100
I’m having serious problems publishing at the moment. This post didn’t go out as it should. I have contacted WordPress but no reply so far so I’m going to republish. If you get the post twice my aplogies.. :|
Cornwall Photographic 
Reblogged this on Blog of an e-marketer by Main Uddin.
September 24, 2013 at 3:14 am
Thank you.
September 24, 2013 at 10:04 am
Lovely shot, Chilli though I’m not too sure about that 3am bit.
September 24, 2013 at 3:19 am
Thanks Gunta. When I published first time around, only a half dozen people were notified and the post didn’t appear in readers. It seems OK this time. Perhaps WordPress will work out what is going on eventually.
September 24, 2013 at 10:06 am
Very nice shot.
September 24, 2013 at 3:57 am
Thank you very much Shimon.
September 24, 2013 at 10:06 am
How nice that I get to sit here and drink in all this beauty! Thank you! A breathtaking image!
September 24, 2013 at 4:08 am
Thank you very much! :-)
September 24, 2013 at 10:06 am
Wow, a very mystical feel… Absolutely another surreal moment you have captured. Very well done!
September 24, 2013 at 4:33 am
Thank you Randall. Much appreciated!
September 24, 2013 at 10:07 am
Wow! Stunning shot, I love the light on the pebbles.
September 24, 2013 at 4:34 am
Thank you Lisa!
September 24, 2013 at 10:07 am
Magnifique photo.
September 24, 2013 at 4:43 am
Thank you very much David.
September 24, 2013 at 10:08 am
“Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” J.R.R. Tolkien
I have been staring at this photograph for ages, I find it so calm and peaceful it draws you in. Thank you for sharing.
September 24, 2013 at 6:23 am
Thanks ever so much Angi. I’m so glad you’re enjoying this one. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 10:09 am
This is magical Adrian, well worth the early start 😊
September 24, 2013 at 6:38 am
Thanks very much Mark! :-)
September 24, 2013 at 10:09 am
And I have problems commenting! But a stunning shot it is :)
September 24, 2013 at 6:47 am
Thank you very much indeed. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 10:09 am
This is fabulous! I love the light glistening off the pebbles and the swathe of moon on the sea. Personally I’m glad you didn’t get another couple of frames in (!) as this has a wonderful tranquil feel to it that a crisp moon, I think, would have detracted from. Still, when you try it again (as I’m sure you will!) it’ll be interesting to see the result – I’m happy to be proven wrong :)
September 24, 2013 at 7:54 am
Thanks Noeline. I think you are probably right on reflection but as you say, it’d be nice to compare and you guessed it, I will be returning to this beach many times I suspect. Those giant pebbles are just too perfect to resist.
September 24, 2013 at 10:11 am
Stunning shot. The moonlight on the rocks is just fantastic and the colours are superb. Well worth getting up early for :-)
September 24, 2013 at 8:11 am
Thank you David. I was already sold on dawn shoots, looks like I’m going to have to be up even earlier from now on for that hour before first light.. :|
September 24, 2013 at 10:16 am
That’s one truly wonderful image! I suppose long exposures fundamentally change the nature of photography. Rather than freezing the perceptions it takes on the quality of consciousness – attention maintained over time.
September 24, 2013 at 9:06 am
Thank you Simon. An interesting comment.
September 24, 2013 at 10:17 am
You gave it such a mysterious feel…what a gem you are working with Poppy and mentoring here.So important for photographers to share their wealth with others.Bless you.
September 24, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Thank you so much and yes, it was a pleasure working with Poppy. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 2:54 pm
A superb photo !
September 24, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Thank you Jocelyne. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Well although I do hate repeating myself ;-)…You’ve caught the mood perfectly ChillB .
The Full Moon was a spectacular sight shimmering on that steely blue grey sea at that early hour of the morning … I don’t think I have ever seen such luminosity quite like it before . Like you said before very ethereal …
What an unexpected gift that was for our dawn photo session :-)
September 24, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Hi Poppy,
Thank you. It really was a gift wasn’t it and just highlights how things are with landscape photography. You are at the mercy of elements and sometimes because of that, you get nothing at all but if you persevere and keep getting out there, every now and then, all the elements come together to give you a real treat. Hopefully, you’re not trying to take pictures with your lens cap on when that happens. This is why all those sessions where perhaps the elements don’t conspire, are just as important. Honing you skills so you’re ready for that moment when it happens, is what it’s all about. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 5:13 pm
I am enjoying this picture very much! I’ve always admired your work, but this may be my favorite of yours.
September 24, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Thanks Nathan. Much appreciated.
September 24, 2013 at 5:14 pm
This is so very beautiful, so serene and peaceful. The colours are gorgeous too!
I wanna sit there and look at the moonlight…..
September 24, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Thank you Marie. It was a very special moment. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 7:14 pm
I don’t know how you do those early starts, but they get results. Well done.
September 24, 2013 at 6:48 pm
Thanks Andy. As I drag myself from my bed, It really is the photography and the beautiful scenery that motivates me. That and the knowledge that I can sleep for a few hours when I’m home which is usually what I do. I’ll load up lightroom when I get back in, have a quick look through and then get to my bed. All part of the job.
I know that as a doctor you will have had a lot more early starts and disturbed nights than I have so I don’t blame you for making the most of you lie ins now.. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Yep – a lot of very disturbed nights. Looking back I don’t know how I did it. The truth is that if we are passionate about something as your first sentence implies, then we will go to great lengths to achieve our aims. I think I need to move to somewhere that really tugs at my visual strings
September 25, 2013 at 7:51 am
The Beds/Bucks border area is not the most picturesque that’s for sure and certainly not an ideal location for an avid walker..
September 25, 2013 at 10:19 am
That’s a good tip about having a torch to find focus points. For a 5 minute exposure, I suspect the big risk is overblown highlights on the moon and the moon’s movement blur.
September 24, 2013 at 7:39 pm
It’s necessary in these situations I think to use a graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure. I used a 0.9 hard grad here. I rarely take a landscape shot these days without a filter attached. I tweaked the moon a little in Photoshop to disguise the movement that inevitably occurred during the lone exposure. I think a set of good neutral density filters is absolutely essential to landscape photography. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 9:37 pm
Whoa! An absolute Stunner Darian!
And this showed up in my reader. :-)
September 24, 2013 at 7:59 pm
I of course meant Adrian.
September 24, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Thank you Phil. I’m glad to hear that at least one of my posts got through and made it to your reader. WordPress are apparently working on this problem for me as it really is hit and miss as to whether my posts go out. I had to publish this one twice as the first one only made it to a handful of people. Thanks again for your comment.
September 24, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Beautiful, Adrian! Love the smooth surface of the water, and the light. Very nice!
September 24, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Thank you Gracie! :-)
September 24, 2013 at 9:39 pm
YUMMY!
Marianne Ensz913.649.6544 (h)913.707.8916 (c)ma_designs2002@yahoo.com
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September 24, 2013 at 8:50 pm
Thanks Marianne! :-)
September 24, 2013 at 9:40 pm
It’s just beautiful Adrian. You did very well :)
September 24, 2013 at 11:03 pm
Thank you Marina! :-)
September 25, 2013 at 6:57 am
Beautiful! The glittering rocks look so cool and smooth. There is an enormous stillness in this picture, with almost a sense of something momentous about to happen.
September 25, 2013 at 2:54 am
Thank you Anna! :-)
September 25, 2013 at 6:57 am
Una Vez Más Una Fotografia Impresionante… Cuanto Más La Miro Más Me Gusta… Un Saludo.
September 25, 2013 at 11:16 am
Muchas gracias y gracias por vuestras visitas y comentarios. :-)
September 25, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Siempre Es Un Placer Admirar Tus Fotografías… Las Gracias Te Las Doy Yo Por Compartirlas Con Nosotros…
September 25, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Es un placer :-)
September 25, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Gorgeous photo! Blessings, my friend.
September 25, 2013 at 12:31 pm
Thank you so much Isabella Rose. :-)
September 25, 2013 at 3:08 pm
Breathtaking and groundbreaking shot! My first attempts to photograph the moon were not very successful. Thanks for the advice with the graduated density filter and the post-processing in PS. Greetings RG :-)
September 25, 2013 at 5:29 pm
Hi RG, Thanks for your visit and your comment. I hope the filters do help next time you give a moonlight shot a try. :-)
September 25, 2013 at 6:27 pm
I see that I have to purchase such a filter. What filters do you recommend?
September 25, 2013 at 8:18 pm
The filters you buy is largely dependent on your budget. You can buy a filter system by Cokin that is relatively inexpensive. I say relatively because the 100mm filters made by HiTec or Lee are very expensive but the optical quality is superb and the larger filter size reduces the risk of vignetting at wider apertures. I use Lee filters but would be just as happy with Hitec. Hope that helps.
September 25, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Magic!
September 25, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Thank you Yvonne. :-)
September 25, 2013 at 8:41 pm
I love this picture very much
September 25, 2013 at 10:03 pm
Thank you Lou! :-)
September 26, 2013 at 6:12 pm
Otherworldly!
September 26, 2013 at 12:10 am
:-)
September 26, 2013 at 6:12 pm
Beautiful. Funny but I spent a lot of time just this past week at a mountain lake under the full moon. I loved the unusual silvery light (this is much more blue) but not sure that it came across well enough in the images. I like them, but the tones are subtle.
September 27, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Thank you. This was a first for me. To be honest I wasn’t too fussed about getting a picture, it was such a magical time sitting on the beach in the moonlight.
September 28, 2013 at 9:08 am
the image – almost a faerie scene – beautiful.
Am alos having problems with WP recently: But Chrome seems to work better than Firefox.
September 28, 2013 at 11:24 am
Thanks. I’ll take a look at Chrome. See how I get on…
September 28, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Lovely photo!
October 11, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Thank you Hans!
October 12, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Absolutely beautiful shot! :)
November 13, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Thank you again! :-)
November 13, 2013 at 9:49 pm
Reblogged this on sueshan123.
November 17, 2013 at 3:28 pm