I didn’t know the moon would be full last night, but when I sat down to wait for the rice to finish cooking for dinner, I could see the moon through the front window. I wish I had been there to see it pop up over the horizon, but I am delighted to have captured the moon at sunset.
Last night I finally got outside to photograph the super moon. At first there was just a glow in the sky- and then the moon rose over the clouds, only to disappear and then reappear in the cloudy sky.
I went out later to check on its progress as it rose in the sky and was almost more fascinated with the smoke-like cloud beside it than I was with the moon itself. For the image below I had to blend two exposures to get the cloud to show next to the moon.
I have photographed this view of the San Francisco Peaks many times- and recently have used both intentional camera movement and multiple exposure for a different look. But really- it is the skies that make the difference.
This shot is of last Friday’s sunrise and is a multiple exposure. It looks like a woven blanket to me.
And here is a more “traditional” photo taken at the same time- not that much different, except for the colors of the mountains. I love how the sun is hitting the snow at the top.
Sometimes you don’t have to wander far from home to find photo subjects.
We are blessed with a view of beautiful Arizona sunrises, which I never get tired of photographing. Lonnie and I were both out there as the sky shifted from red and pink to orange and finally blue this morning.
We have just returned from a wonderful Thanksgiving visit with our daughter’s family in Alaska- our first trip there in winter (I know it is technically fall, but it was WINTER there!). There was no snow, but the ground and many of the trees were covered with icy hoar frost. Daylight was limited, and the weather averaged in the low teens. Brrrr!
I was hoping to see the northern lights, but Caitlin had warned me that most nights had cloud covered skies, which blocked the view. I think it was the second morning we were there that she woke us up to tell us that she could see the aurora from the front deck. We staggered sleepily outside (it was not really that early- 7 a.m.- but it was dark, of course), and, after a few minutes of allowing our eyes to be accustomed to the darkness, we were treated to the sight of a faint aurora dancing around the dark skies. I grabbed my camera and set up the tripod for a long exposure. I hadn’t prepared for this and didn’t think anything was showing up on the LCD monitor. Caitlin offered to drive us a few miles down the road toward the state park, where she thought we would be able to see more. We pulled over in a likely spot, but alas, we could only see stars. I set up the tripod anyway and took three 15 second exposures anyway, stopping when I kept hearing rustling in the bushes. It wasn’t until I looked at the images on the computer that I realized that there was indeed a very small part of the aurora visible. My images were underexposed at 15 seconds- perhaps I needed to increase ISO or use a longer exposure. Next time, I will be more prepared!
Below is my favorite view, although the aurora is mini. This was taken from a pullout on the road.
Another sunset view. . .
I never get tired of sunrise and sunset shots. I think this in-camera multiple of the sky looks like folds.
We have just returned from a quick trip to Southern California to visit our son. We walked on the beach with him at sunset, and I grabbed this quick shot when I saw silhouettes against the orange sky. I think the fellow on the far right might be taking a selfie!
Such a fun adventure we had yesterday in Sedona! We drove over in the middle of the afternoon and had a great time wandering around and checking out the galleries and shops at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at El Rincon, where, to the amusement of our waitress, I couldn’t resist photographing the reflection of the little white lights on the overhead umbrella on my spoon. 
Midway through dinner, the flamenco guitar music began!
During dinner, Lonnie was googling best places for sunset photography in Sedona, so we ended up on an overlook on Airport Road. The wind had kicked up, and it was threatening rain, making for dramatic clouds.
After we walked across the road and began setting up, I realized I didn’t have my cable release, so I walked back to the car and lugged my whole camera bag back across the road to where my tripod was set up. Lonnie and Carol were busy photographing the scene while I got set up again. What I didn’t realize was that they were photographing a tornado forming! I continued taking photos of the rocks, oblivious to what they were seeing. Fortunately, I have a few shots at the end of the event- although I didn’t know what I was shooting. It wasn’t until we got home and they started talking about the tornado, that I realized what I had missed! You can check out Carol’s magnificent twister photos at http://infocusdaily.com
Another super moon image- edited with Topaz Impression and a texture from Jessica Drossin
My friend, the intrepid photographer, Carol, is here visiting- so of course we had to photograph last night’s super moon. The moon kind of took us by surprise as we were out in the driveway photographing the sunset- and it quickly rose up into the clouds before I could even get my camera on the tripod. These photos won’t win any prizes, but I enjoyed seeing the huge moon over my neighborhood. Next time, maybe I’ll take photos from a more picturesque spot!
Last night’s sky called me outside at sunset. Looking out the window, I saw everything bathed in a warm glow . There were pink and orange clouds, the moon was peeking through wispy clouds, and there was thunder and lightning in the distance. I had my Lensbaby with Edge 80 attached (a very zoomed in focal length for my crop sensor camera), but, knowing how quickly the light changes at this time of day, I didn’t dare stop to change lenses. I have no images that capture the panoramic view of these majestic clouds across the sky. I know, I know- I should have used my iPhone. . .
We have lived in Arizona for a year now, and I am still obsessed with the changing skies. On Monday night, we looked out the window to see this (captured with my iPhone):
I grabbed my Nikon and ran outside. Unfortunately my macro lens (85mm) was on the camera, but, knowing how quickly light can change, I didn’t take the time to change it to my zoom to be able to capture a wide angle view. By the time, I got outside, the rainbow had faded and everything was bathed in an almost eerie golden light.
The clouds in every direction were shades of pink and gold, which darkened during the 5-10 minutes I took these photos.
All the photos have only minor exposure and clarity adjustments. The last one has Kim Klassen’s everyday texture added.
Today is the end of our friend, Joan’s visit to our home in Prescott. We are so sad to see her go- we had such a wonderful time with her! Yesterday, she got to experience a true “Retirement in Prescott” day.
We started the day with a trip to our fabulous hardware store, where we spent so much time browsing that we almost forgot why we were there (to buy picture hangers and a birdfeeder extender hook). Then we drove down to the square so Joan could take photos of the courthouse and some of the surrounding buildings.
She and Lonnie enjoyed walking the timeline of the history of Yavapai County.
We did a complete circuit of the courthouse building, which is undergoing some construction, with a security guard acting as tour guide for part of the way. 
After lunch at home, we headed out to the movies so that Joan could experience the reclining seats. We saw Into the Storm (thumbs down for acting and plot, thumbs up for special effects), and afterward walked out into our own extreme storm- driving rain, thunder, lightning, and flooding roadways. Now Joan can say she has truly experienced summer in Arizona!
The sunset and flag photos each have textures added: ecru on both photos, and also waterfront 17 on the sunset (both by Kim Klassen).
Linking up with Texture Tuesday today.
Warning: there are more Arizona skies in this post!
Last night,we had just sat down to dinner, when my husband exclaimed- LOOOOOK! This is not that unusual; we have beautiful clouds and sunsets (not to mention birds and snakes and lizards. . .), and we are always telling each other to LOOOOK!
As you have guessed, there was a beautiful rainbow out there (and it had not been raining).
But what became immediately apparent was that it was a DOUBLE rainbow that stretched across the whole horizon! I grabbed my camera (and he grabbed his), and we ran outside. I don’t know if he captured the whole span, but I soon discovered that my 18-200 mm lens was not really wide enough- especially, because it started raining as soon as we got out there, and we had to stand on the porch and then in the open garage. It got too wet too quickly to stand out there, so we went back to eating dinner. These photos do not begin to capture the beauty of the rainbow or the quality of the light- but here they are.
I don’t know what is going on with the clouds in the middle two photos (the darker semi-circular shape at the top). A camera thing, a flying saucer thing- who knows?
BTW, it being summer in Arizona, there was thunder and lightning going on too!
melinda anderson photography 