Behind the Shots: Wind-Swept Whimsy Moon

Dalton being one with the wind for the full moon of March 2025.
Single Exposure 🔹 800mm 🔹 F/11 🔹 1/250 sec. 🔹 ISO 160

For last week’s full moon, I was happy to do a shoot with a friend that’s been on the list for a good while. I met Dalton a few years back, and last year he became my neighbor when he moved in across the street.  Back in 2023 we had an attempt for some moon shots with him, but it was overcast and the moon didn’t make an appearance.  We actually ended up doing some portrait-style shots with stormy clouds. Even though I’m not a portrait photographer, we had a fun time and we ended up with some pretty cool shots.  This time, I had some other plans for photos that fell through, and so it was only the day of that I talked to Dalton about trying that evening for moon shots again.  He was all in!

He showed up to my place dressed and ready, and he was most excited about his scarf.  He was hoping for a breeze to be able to get the scarf moving in the wind.  As we drove over to the place for moon photos, and then took the 15-minute hike to find his position, he filled me in on his epic adventures he’d had over a recent extended trip that took him through Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.  It was great hearing about all the cool hot springs he visited, the other outdoor experiences he had, and the good times spent with friends, old and new.

Single Exposure 🔹 800mm 🔹 F/11 🔹 1/250 sec. 🔹 ISO 160

Dalton is one of the most photogenic people I know, so whether he’s trying to look good for the camera or not, you’re essentially guaranteed some great photos.  With these moon shoots, I give fairly general instructions. I think things work out best when everyone is in their own element, and able to express themselves in whatever way they’d likem, so I usually tell people they should do what they want in the way of clothing and posing.  After showing Dalton the spot to be at for the photos and leaving him with one of my 2-way radios, I set back to the car, then drove a short distance to the area I would be setting up my gear, which was only about a half mile from Dalton as the crow flies.

Single Exposure 🔹 800mm 🔹 F/11 🔹 1/160 sec. 🔹 ISO 125

As the time approached for the moon to creep above the horizon, I’d lost visibility of Dalton as he’d disappeared behind the “fin” as we call them in Moab.  I let him know we were just a couple minutes away and to get into position, but I started to get a bit nervous when it seemed like another minute went by and he still wasn’t there.  Just moments before the moon began to appear, he was back at the spot, phew!  I began taking photos, and Dalton began the Dalton dance. With the moon moving its own diameter in about two minutes, that’s about all the time you have to shoot the moon passing behind someone.  If the terrain permits however, you can reposition yourself and your camera to experience the moonrise multiple times. As you move towards your subject, things will appear larger, so in this case the rock fin which was my horizon “moved” up, eventually obscuring the moon again.  In this area, I had relatively nice and small hills to work with, so I would move forward, letting Dalton know over the radio that he could take a little break as I was repositioning myself and my gear. It’s also helpful to know that moving closer to your subject affects the apparent size of the moon, since whatever is on the ground will appear larger as you approach, effectively “shrinking” the moon. You can learn more about big moon photos like these in a special blog I wrote a few years back, and if you’re interested in other ways that you can “move” the moon while photographing it, I made a list of rules in another “Behind the Shots” post.  I repositioned myself about 6 times, giving us about 15 minutes total of shooting the moon rising behind Dalton. I eventually ran into a hill that wasn’t so easy to navigate, and our illumination was now gone since the sun set, so I let him know I’d meet him back where we started.

Single Exposure 🔹 800mm 🔹 F/11 🔹 1/200 sec. 🔹 ISO 125

I drove back up the hill and Dalton and I flipped through the photos on my camera. It’s always fun to see peoples’ reactions to the photos, since from where they’re standing, they don’t really know how it looks from my position with the big moon behind them. Of course we were both happy how well it worked out with the wind and the scarf. It turns out it wasn’t just a little breezy, but quite windy up on the rock, and Dalton had a great time being one with the elements.

I guess he doesn’t want to stay on earth so he hitched a ride on the moon.
Single Exposure 🔹 800mm 🔹 F/11 🔹 1/160 sec. 🔹 ISO 125