Funky Full Moon with Pine Tree (Please click on photo to view larger)

--Lannie

This is a tough one.  I think the moon is one of the most difficult subjects to photograph because of both the light and distance differentials.  I like the light here, as the clouds are seen in greater detail than usual, and I think it's appropriate to have the tree as a silhouette.  But to not see any detail in the branches and instead have the tree rendered as a soft, rounded mass is a bit more than I'm used to.  Personally, I think I'd like to see additional detail in the branches, primarily so that the tree is seen as a tree and not some unknown shape.  My $0.02.

I agree, Stephen.  This one came out of left field.  It was not at all what I was trying for.

If it were not for the clouds against the sky, I would toss it.  The curious thing, however, is that the over-exposure which made the clouds and sky so prominent also served to blow out the moon--and so finally I am of divided soul about it.  it certainly does not fit my criteria of a "nature" shot, but something about it--perhaps just the forms and colors--appeals to me.

I think that, in general, if one is going to shoot at f/4, then one needs to meter on the moon if one wants to avoid this.  I have to say, though, that at f/4 with a full frame camera and the tree about fifty feet away, I should have known that I was not going to get everything in focus at once.  Live and learn.  Sometimes I am a slow learner.

Extremes of color are not my usual offering, to be sure. . . .

--Lannie

Lannie:  This could be just one of those form and color shots that you just hang on a wall to go with other things in a room. What the heck!   Not every picture has to tell a story.  And the indistinguishable tree shadow offsets the clouds providing balance.  Reminds me of my shot.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/5262312839/in/set-72157625476289859 Alan.

Oh, Alan, that is so much better than my shot.  There is no comparison.

--Lannie

Lannie: Thanks for the compliment but not really.  They're both kind of form shots; geometric photos.  At least that's how I look at mine, like those zoomed in shots of a stream's little waves.   You just have to find a place to hang them that blends in with other stuff.    Alan