The beach at Point Holmes is fabulous to photograph and particularly good on a falling tide since the dropping water reveals a set of very interesting boulders. Over the last month I’ve been down to Point Holmes during the full moon to photograph moon rise. The beach is east/south facing, so at sunset you get a beautiful palette of soft colours created by the sun setting behind and to the west. The moon does rise directly in line with the beach and the boulders.

I have to admit that I’m a novice when it comes to night photography and moon photography. The dynamic range between the dark shadows of the rocks on the beach and the brightness of the full moon make it difficult to get an exposure that shows the moon well. I ended up doing a series of long exposure images that made the moon look like some sort of demented sun, but I like the overall effect. The long exposure blurs the clouds and softens the water.

Later in the evening there is still plenty of good colour in the sky. I found that I got my best results when the moon was partially obscured by clouds and the reflection of the moon on the water hidden behind rocks and other objects. The light of the moon is so bright that it overpowers the scene.

The timing of the tides has since changed and the moon has moved on to a different phase and rising time. There was a short window of two to three days when everything lined up perfectly. I just need to wait another month for it to roll around again!

To view more images of the full moon rising at Point Holmes, please visit http://www.daveingram.ca/Photography/Ocean/Point-Holmes-Moonrise/