Rainier Moon

Rainier Moon Success

Rainier MoonAfter trying for about a year, I finally captured the shot of the full moon (or almost full moon) rising over Mount Rainier. I’ve discussed my various attempts at capturing this shot in several previous posts, including this one from August 2019 and this one from earlier this year. Using the Photographers Ephemeris, I calculated what days the nearly full moon will rise behind Mount Rainier from spots near to Tacoma. This happens every year in June, July, and August.

I say almost full moon because I wanted to capture the moon just before sunset, and on day of the actual full moon, it ususally rises after sunset. The shots here were taken two days before the official full moon. My other attempts, described below, were the day before the full moon.

Last August, I went to the Fox Island Bridge along with several friends to capture the rising moon. We did see the moon rise behind Rainier, but the clouds partially obscured the moon and the light on the mountain itself was not optimal. I went again last June and had similar results. In July, I again met two friends, this time at Dune Park in Tacoma. However, the mountain and the rising moon were not visible due to clouds (though I did get some other worthwhile shots).

Finally, last month I had success, as you can see from the shot above and those below. Once again I journeyed to Dune Park, and all the necessary elements for a successful shot fell into place. I had the added bonus of seeing a dolphin frolicking off the park’s shores – the first time I’ve ever seen a dolphin there. Were the shots worth waiting and planning over an entire year? You be the judge.

Moon Topper

Rainier Moon 2

Rainier Moon 3

Dolphin Play

Comments

7 responses to “Rainier Moon Success”

  1. ourcrossings Avatar

    Wow, your photos are absolutely stunning and Mount Rainier has to be one of the most stunning peaks to capture! Would love to see it one day. But until it’s safe to travel again, we are staying close to home and looking forward to exploring more of Ireland. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😀 Aiva

    1. joebecker Avatar

      Thank you. And I’d love to see Ireland some day. Perhaps we can trade places sometime…

  2. Hayley Sarah Spear Avatar

    This is incredible!!! Thinking of the PNW right now

  3. premsank Avatar

    Very beautiful! Worth the wait i must say! Congratulations!

  4. […] been seeking a shot like this one for for over a year as I explained in an earlier blog post this year. No wonder it one of my favorites of the year! The full moon rises over Rainier only a […]

  5. billmuy Avatar
    billmuy

    Amazing shots!

    I just came across your site while looking for techniques for planning and taking exactly these shots. If you don’t mind can you please share your focal length and camera settings? I’d like to learn from them.

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