This shot was kind of an accident while still being totally deliberate on my part. We had dinner with Julia’s friend, Kristen, and her parents at their place while down at St. Simons and Jekyll Island for the weekend. During dinner I expressed my interest in getting up early the next morning to capture a great sunrise shot of the some of the driftwood on the beaches of Jekyll Island. Being from that area, they told me of a specific spot to go to. So, that night when Julia and I left we decided to go scout out the location ahead of time so I’d know exactly where I was going the next morning. Once there, this tree immediately caught my attention. There was a full moon in the sky, so you could clearly see most everything without any need for a flashlight, even though it was 10:30 or so at night. I saw the shot and told Julia I had to walk back to the car to get my camera and tripod.

When I got back I went to doing my thing. Props to my sweet girlfriend for being patient with me as I did a whole series or different exposure combinations in order to ensure that I got the best results I could for processing later. I tried to play the romance card telling her it was kind of romantic out there on the beach with the full moon and sea breeze and all. Unfortunately, me being more focused on photography than I was her kind of prevented her from entertaining that thought I think. It was past her bedtime, and Julia doesn’t like having to be up past her bedtime.

This turned out to be one of three shots I took out there that night that are among my favorites from the trip. This is what F5.6 for 8 seconds at ISO 800 shooting from a tripod will give you on a night lit by a full moon.