Shooting Sunset #1 June 29, 2026

High tide during the Full Strawberry Moon flooded Cedar Island, turning the entire bay into a reflecting pool.  From where I photographed sunset, I was stuck with a massive, 440-foot high radio tower in my shot.   So I put it to good use by capturing the flash of both white beacons.  That took a lot of timing to get my shot right (1/640th Second).  That beacon flash is reflected off the bay near the bottom left of the image. 

I knew I’d later capture the full Sun after it dropped below the clouds.  For this shot, I emphasized the beam on the bay more than the half Sun.  For that reason, I like this shot better than my later shots of the full Sun.

Read my 2 Blog posts for tips and techniques to shoot sunsets: Savoring Sunsets— Part One and Part Two.

My Circular Polarizer filter captured the rich color.  I even caught a Black Skimmer flying over the bay near the beam.  I took many shots of several Black Skimmers piercing the orange water with bright white splashes lit up by strong sunlight.  As with any photo of sunset (or sunrise), it all comes down to recording color and contrast.  This shot is exactly what I saw and enjoyed that night.

Shooting Moonrise June 29, 2026

I had no time between sunset and moonrise, because I had to drive from bayside to oceanside of the island.  So before sunset, I prepared my tripod for sandy conditions.  A very useful tip is to always have at least 6 rubber bands and 6 plastic baggies in your tripod bag.  Why have 6 of each?  That’s for redundancy.  Rubber bands break.  Always be prepared.  Place each tripod leg bottom inside a plastic baggie, and then secure each with a rubber band.  This will keep your tripod legs out of harm’s way, so no sand/dirt/mud/water comes in contact with your expensive tripod.   It’s an inexpensive way to protect your expensive equipment.

When I arrived, many moongazers were already on the Jetty and beach awaiting the light show.  But nobody else brought the tools I had to truly take in the experience.  Phone shots didn’t do moonrise justice.  So it was fun to let many see what I was capturing through my 700mm lens.  I showed my shots to those around me, so they could enjoy the color and detail.  I love sharing my gift.

Read my Moon Shots— Part One Blog post to find tips and techniques for shooting the Moon.  When the Moon rises over an ocean, it is quite dim.  I was hoping for Moon glow on the ocean from the start.   But the ocean didn’t glow until much later, when the Moon was far higher.  So my composition was limited to the Moon, with little help from the horizon of dark ocean. 

I was very fortunate to spot a boat traveling south— from left to right in my frame.  I took several shots focused on the rising Moon, but made sure I caught the lights of the boat directly beneath.  This was a much-appreciated added element to my shot.

The boat gave me scale and a reference point for the horizon.  To get the small boat in my shot— and take in enough light— I lived life on the edge.  With my camera on my tripod, I used an aperture of f11, shutter speed of 1/160th second, and ISO of 12,800.  Yep, you read that correctly: 12,800.  I boosted my ISO heavily.  My camera has tremendous low light capability, so I was less worried about my photo being too “grainy.” 

Not every camera gets good results at such a high ISO.  When I shot the Moon by itself, I didn’t need as high an ISO.  But the distant boat lights were small and faint.  I needed a very high ISO to capture those lights.

While you might not be able to push up your ISO as high as I did, you can still try the same approach to get the best results with your camera.  You will just have to begin with a lower ISO (perhaps 2,000), and review your photos to make sure they aren’t too grainy. 

I shot quite slow at 1/160th second, but got lucky.  I needed a slow speed, because the boat appeared so dim.  Even though I used a tripod for stability, I still needed enough shutter speed to prevent the boat or Moon from being blurry.  Honestly, I expected 1/160th second would be too slow.  Sometimes with photography, you need a little luck.

Shooting Moonset June 30, 2026

Without my tripod, I shot handheld at f10, 1/400th second, and ISO 5,000.  Here again, I boosted my ISO heavily— especially because I wasn’t using a tripod to be able to shoot at a slow shutter speed.   Your best bet would be to start at ISO 2,000, but be ready to push that higher.

I would have preferred to use my tripod— and then shoot with my 700mm lens.  But without my tripod, I adapted by turning Image Stabilization on in my camera and 500mm lens, plus boosting my ISO.  To prevent camera shake, I lowered my heart rate.  This is a very useful technique, requiring deep breathing to relax.   So heart rate and posture enabled my body to serve as "my tripod."  

It’s important to point out I kept my shutter speed at 1/400th second.  Had I shot handheld at any slower shutter speed, the Moon would likely not be sharp.  Remember, the Moon is moving and the Earth is moving— all while you’re trying not to move.  

While a wider aperture of f8 or f4 would have let in more light, it would not have produced the detail I got using f10.  So f10 was my magic number.