Full Moon over DC, Part 2, Feb 2013

I recently posted a few images I took of the full moon as it rose over Washington, D.C.  Now that I've had a little time to process some of the images, I've developed a multiple exposure image and a time lapse video showing the progression of the full moon as it rose of the National Mall.  

Multiple Exposure of Full Moon rising over Washington, D.C., Feb 2013

As always, I look forward to reading your comments.

Full Moon over DC - Feb 2013

Beautiful night to capture the Full Moon Rise over DC this evening.  One of the clearest nights to capture this event in several years.  

Time Lapse of Full Moon rise over DC 2012

While I was photographing the Full Moon rise over DC yesterday, I tried something new.  I set up a second camera set to take a picture every 20 seconds.  I then used the timeline function in Photoshop CS6 to create this time lapse video.  With it, you can, in 5 seconds, watch 45 minutes of clouds moving across DC.  If you blink, you'll miss the moon as it was only visible for 4 or 5 minutes, the rest of time it was obscured by clouds.  Next time I try this, I'll use an interval of 5 or 10 seconds instead of 20.

Full Moon over DC -- Sept 2012

I ventured down to DC to capture the full moon rise over Washington DC this evening.  The full moon in Sept usually lines up nicely with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol building, creating a wonderful shot.  I was hesitant to make the trip because of all the clouds, and it was quite cloudy so that we couldn't see the moon until about 15 minutes after it rose.  Thankfully, the moon peaked out from behind the clouds for a few minutes.

As I said in my post last year, the best place to capture this image is from in front of the Netherlands Carillon

Update:  Check out my next post where I show a 5 second time lapse video of the moon rise

St. Louis Arch

While in St. Louis last weekend for a friend's wedding, I took the opportunity to capture some photos of the St Louis Arch.  Officially called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the stainless steel arch is an amazing piece of architecture.  The arch soars into the sky 630 feet, 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument.  At night, the stainless steel structure shines in the dark as it reflects the lights of St Louis.

Also at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is the Old Court House where, in 1847, Dred Scott sued for his freedom from slavery; an event that hastened the beginning of the Civil War.  The Courthouse is currently undergoing some reconstruction.

St Louis Old Courthouse and Arch

Full Moon over DC

My daughter and I went to photograph the full moon over DC this evening.  Almost every year in September, the full moon rises at just the right spot so that it is aligned over the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol Building.  We positioned our cameras in front of the Netherlands Carillon and waited for the moon to rise.  Here are four of the pictures I captured, all straight out of the camera with only minor adjustments in Adobe Bridge.

Fort Point

Golden Gate Bridge before sunrise

Another trip to San Francisco and a few more images from the area around the Golden Gate Bridge.  This time I concentrated on the southern side of the bridge in an area called Fort Point.  Fort Point is where the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay dropped anchor in August of 1775.  Unfortunately, I arrived there just in time for the iron door into the fort to be clanged shut in my face (literally), so I didn't get to see the inside.

Golden Gate Bridge around morning twilight

Perhaps next time I visit there, I can get an image of the top of the bridge sticking out above a fog layer.  For more images from the Golden Gate area, see my previous posts titled: Golden Gate at Sunrise, Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge

Panoramic of the Golden Gate Bridge

During another business trip to the San Francisco area in mid-December, I returned to the Golden Gate Bridge National Recreation Area to try and capture some images of the bridge from different angles.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I missed the overlook I was trying to find during my previous trip in September and wanted to try again. 

For the image above, I stood on top of a overlook off of Conzelman road for about an hour waiting for the sun to set.  I was praying the sun would pop out from the clouds/haze and illuminate the bridge just long enough for a few shots.  My prayer was answered about 30 minutes before sunset.  The sun stayed out just long enough for me to capture a set of 7 images, which I stitched together to form the panoramic above.  

While there, I also stopped by the Ridge Battery and Battery Spencer and captured the images below.  These were gun emplacements set up shortly after the Civil War to protect the San Francisco Bay.  You can still see the earthen walls they build to provide protection from enemy fire.

Golden Gate from the Ridge Battery

Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer