Moon Mission

Last night I went out to photograph the moon about seven hours before its full status; translated, I didn’t want to do this at 3 a.m.  I set my tripod up in the parking lot of the Carmel Mission, one of California’s historic 21 missions.

Getting the moon and the mission together would be perfect, but that alignment, fog aside, wouldn’t happen until after the mission bell lights were turned off.  So, I took separate shots and went home to dream about Ansel Adams’ Moonrise, Hernandez. the 1941 photo that is still the standard for the perfect moon shot.

For the purists who would have climbed a higher altitude to get the mission and the moon in the dark, I have one response: mountain lions.