The red glow around the super moon was spectacular, but I could not have known that earlier in the evening…
I thought I came prepared for the shoot and quickly realized I was not as sharp as usual, for a number of reasons. Last winter had been hard for me personally and it was still on my mind, the drive from Mammoth to the Patriarch Grove is long and tedious, and nighttime photography requires different skills than I usually use in my work. There are always problems focusing the camera, making careful planning essential. I’ve used Canon for years and recently switched to a Sony A7R IV. It’s a wonderful machine, and all would have been fine with this idea had the eclipse occurred earlier. Unfortunately, I arrived to clouds in the east and was disappointed realizing the eclipse would be hidden and that once again I had missed the opportunity to capture this beautiful eclipse. The same situation occurred back in 2015! So, I packed up my gear and went back to check out another spot that I’d scouted earlier in the evening. I soon realized that I didn't know all that much about eclipses and that later in the evening the total eclipse would be very different, and that I would have another chance after all!
There were many problems focusing my Sony even using the amazing Sony FE 100-400 lens. The lens is superb in many conditions, but low light does not seem to be one of them, or more likely, I do not have focusing skills with the Sony, I focused manually on the Old Bristlecone Pine, and then again on the moon using AF. The two images put together make a hauntingly beautiful composition and I had quite a surprise when I first saw the two combined in Photoshop! This is a case where I have no problem combining images. The capture was there with the Blood Moon and the Bristlecone and depth-of-field issues needed to be resolved, but overall, it’s an excellent example of how technology can be a good thing!
