Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Fly me to the moon

by Leave a Comment

An airplane flies high, passing the moon in the evening sky. (© Tony’s Takes)
An airplane flies high, passing the moon in the evening sky. (© Tony’s Takes)

Fly me to the moon. Or, at least fly by the moon, eh?

Out taking pics last week I look up and see this airplane is going to fly right by the early evening moon. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera dismounted from the tripod and pointed at it, the plane had passed. It still makes for kind of a cool shot I think. Our moon looks absolutely fantastic against that clear, blue, Colorado sky.

As a space geek, I can’t help but look at it and look forward to the day when we can say, “There is a man (or woman!) up there!” It is hard to believe it will soon be 50 years since we first set foot on it. It has been far too long. Let’s go, NASA!

Setting moon between layers of clouds

by Leave a Comment

The moon sets over the Colorado Front Range foothills with clouds both above and below. (© Tony’s Takes)
The moon sets over the Colorado Front Range foothills with clouds both above and below. (© Tony’s Takes)

A very cool scene that unfolded last weekend. Low clouds were above and threatening to rain. On the horizon, clouds hung low beyond the foothills of the Colorado Front Range. In between, a thin band of blue sky that was punctuated by the setting moon. Even on a cruddy weather day, we get some pretty cool scenes here in Colorado.

Total lunar eclipse among the stars

by

The total lunar eclipse turns the moon red while allowing the stars around it to shine. (© Tony’s Takes)
The total lunar eclipse turns the moon red while allowing the stars around it to shine. (© Tony’s Takes)

Just a quick edit of one of my pics of the big celestial event last night as I had to get to bed and sleep before work today.

We were very lucky here in the Denver area in that while we had clouds much of the day yesterday, it cleared off quite nicely after dark. That gave us prime viewing for the so-called “Super Blood Wolf Moon” (or whatever the hype-masters called it). 😉

One of the things that struck me most about the event was that once totality was reached, the stars really brightened up and became quite visible. Here in the city, we don’t usually see so many except when there is a new moon.

I decided this is probably one of my favorite shots from the night as it offsets the moon and allows you to really see all the stars. 

A quick test shot of the full moon as I gear up for the lunar eclipse

by

The rising full wolf moon as seen from the Denver, Colorado area. (© Tony’s Takes)
The rising full wolf moon as seen from the Denver, Colorado area. (© Tony’s Takes)

Skies have thankfully cleared here in the Denver, Colorado area so hoping for a nice show. I will stay up until totality but then will miss the last half as I have to go to work early tomorrow.

Setting “Bison moon” at sunrise

by

Bison graze under the setting Full Cold Moon on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
Bison graze under the setting Full Cold Moon on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

Technically the full moon this month was called the Full Cold Moon. However, as it set early in the morning Sunday, I happened across this scene. It seems fitting to post it now for Tatanka Thursday. 😉

The sun was just started to climb over the horizon and shed its golden light on the landscape and the creatures below. Above, a cloud layer but not low enough to obscuring the setting moon. In the background, the Rocky Mountains were waiting for their chance to see some sun.

Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Shooting the moon

by

The waning gibbous moon is seen over Colorado on a fall morning. (© Tony’s Takes)
The waning gibbous moon is seen over Colorado on a fall morning. (© Tony’s Takes)

A gorgeous waning gibbous moon recently. As I sat waiting for the sun to rise and light to spread so I could take pictures, I pointed my camera toward our only natural satellite. Those clear, Colorado skies provided prime viewing and a nice pic.

Sunrise colors the clouds as the moon sets

by

The sunrise in the east colors the clouds to the west over the Colorado Front Range. (© Tony’s Takes)
The sunrise in the east colors the clouds to the west over the Colorado Front Range. (© Tony’s Takes)

An absolutely gorgeous morning yesterday along the Colorado Front Range. While we enjoyed a quiet morning, our mountains were once again getting pounded by snow. There weren’t many clouds to the east where the sun was rising but to the west, the storm had settled in over the high country. The pastel colored clouds with the setting moon and even a couple of deer made for a nice scene.

Daytime waning gibbous moon

by Leave a Comment

A daytime waning gibbous moon as seen from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A daytime waning gibbous moon as seen from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

A random capture from this past weekend in the Rocky Mountains. I was actually watching some nearby creatures when I looked around and saw the moon, crystal clear and looming above. I couldn’t resist swinging by tripod head around and snapping a few captures.

Daytime waning crescent moon

by Leave a Comment

While full moon’s are beautiful and get the most attention, the light tends to be so bright and direct that it hides the details of our natural satellite. During the other phases though, the light isn’t as direct and helps to really make features pop. In this image, taken yesterday morning not long after sunrise, you get a really nice feel for the ‘texture’ of the moon and can see the details of the craters much better.

A waning crescent moon is seen in the daytime skies over Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A waning crescent moon is seen in the daytime skies over Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

The setting moon at sunrise

by Leave a Comment

The setting moon at sunrise. A very pretty scene this past Saturday. As the sun rose in the east and cast its warming rays on the landscape, to the west, everything was aglow and a setting near-full moon dotted those beautiful blue skies. Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

As the sunrise illuminates the landscape, the full moon sets in the west. (© Tony’s Takes)
As the sunrise illuminates the landscape, the full moon sets in the west. (© Tony’s Takes)