Bath Moonlight Sonata
I got up early this morning to catch the full moon coming down over Bath. After the fun I had making image of the moon over Portland last month, I am eager not to waste any opportunity.
Getting this shot wasn't easy. I had to scramble through a lot of brush, along with the nice layer of ice we had from the last storm and dripping water coming from the overpass on the Woolwich side of the river . I found my spot and set up with the long lens. I experimented with different exposures to try and retain some detail in the moon, but it was just too bright to keep the city well-exposed at the same time. I made multiple exposures, thinking I would combine them later on the computer to get the moon right, but when I tried this it just didn't look as pleasing as this version with the blown-out moon. I guess I would say that the impression of the moon is what's important here.
The light was pretty incredible at this point. The deep blue hour, with the first light of day coming in behind me, really cast a beautiful glow on the city along with the artificial lights. A couple of clouds lined up to the side of the moon, filling my frame and catching some of the moonlight. The Kennebec River was full of large chunks of ice, moving downstream, causing the streaks in this long exposure.
The city skyline is dominated by the steeples and bell towers of City Hall, First Baptist Church, and the Winter Street Church. You can also see the holiday lights still in the trees down in the Riverfront Park.
