A crecent moon and lone oak under sunset sky.

Crescent Moon and Lone Oak

Posted by Don Smith (California, United States) on 26 November 2009 in Landscape & Rural.

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Sometimes a simple juxtaposition of elements can lead to a satisfying image. I spotted this crescent moon while on a early-morning drive through the Diablo Hills east of Hollister, California, and knew I needed something for it to visually connect with. I began scouring the hillside ridges for a suitable subject, and came upon this lone oak sitting as if were a sentinel atop this ridgeline.

Fortunately, there were some cirrus clouds hanging around; they served to provide a splash of warm color prior to sunrise allowing my image to come together.

I did not adhere to the standard rule-of-thirds positioning with the hillside as I did not want it to visually dominate the scene. I did however place both the moon and the tree in strong positions relative to the intersection of the imaginary thirds-grid. The crescent moon has its own weight, and I did not want to overpower it by adding more of the silhouetted hillside than I felt necessary. I played with various crops and settled on this one because of the visual tension provided by the dominance of the sky. The implied diagonal line created by the position of the moon and the tree also resulted in some visual movement.

Think of rules in photography more as guidelines, then break them every so often. This can create visual excitement that will draw and hold your viewer's attention.

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Comments (27)

christine from France

Sympathique la lecture de cette photo....bravo, j'aime beaucoup

26 Nov 2009 6:55am

Tamara from Aarschot, Belgium

I love this simple composition, the tree and the moon... perfect ! Good job :)

26 Nov 2009 9:04am

Vitor Martins from Lisboa, Portugal

Beautiful composition. The orange color palete in the sky with the moon ate the top is superd.

26 Nov 2009 9:32am

Ron from Saint Louis, United States

You have, indeed, made a beautiful connection ... perfect proportions ... ron

26 Nov 2009 11:46am

@Ron: Thanks Ron.

Judy from Brooksville, Florida, United States

I see this being used as a motivational poster ........ the beauty of simplicity! Less is more, etc.
Happy Thanksgiving!

26 Nov 2009 2:13pm

@Judy: I'll have to have you talk to Getty for me. They took a horizontal composition of a similar image and by-passed this one.

Steve Loos from Hollister, United States

Don; your twi-light article is fantastic! I know that spot on Quien Sabe well and will visit soon and apply your process. The oak / moon image is beautiful - I like the way you saturate the orange glow and yet have no over saturated or dark areas.

26 Nov 2009 4:12pm

@Steve Loos: Hi Steve, hope you and your family had a nice Thanksgiving! I appreciate you taking the time to write. The twi-light article was a result of all the blue-sky days we get here. I plan to do more of it also, it's just a matter of finding the time. Hope all is well.

Elora from Genoa, Italy

I just love the rolling wave created by the hill in this shot :) Wonderfully done! Oh and Happy Thanksgiving!

26 Nov 2009 4:57pm

@Elora: Thanks so much Elora, I too am partial to the eloquent line created by the silhouetted hill, and I believe by minimizing the hill (through a tighter crop), it gave this line more weight (less is more) and prominence in the scene. I encourage everyone in my workshops to play with the crop tool - it is a great teacher.

john4jack from Corvallis, Oregon, United States

This is what I call a Zen photograph. Stunning in its simplicity.

26 Nov 2009 5:52pm

@john4jack: That is a high compliment - thank you Jack, and I hope you had a great turkey day yesterday!

KriKridesign from Cully, Switzerland

Beau-ti-ful....That's it!

26 Nov 2009 6:12pm

Gary Hart from California, United States

Beautiful.

26 Nov 2009 7:55pm

zOOm from Paris, France

Minimalist but how effective. I love the place you've left to that gorgeous sky and the tiny tree silhouette in the distance. Poetic and beautiful indeed.

26 Nov 2009 8:13pm

@zOOm: Simplicity is so important in the success/failure of our images. I (like many others) am usually guilty of trying to put too much information in the frame. It is images like this that keep reminding me to pay attention to not overdo it.

Barbara Kile from Ft. Worth, United States

Elegant simplicity and the color is beautiful! What a treat to be able to see this in person!

26 Nov 2009 8:47pm

@Barbara Kile: When I first spotted this scene, the moon was closer to the tree, I hit the gas and drove as fast I as I could to put some separation between the two elements before the moon got too high! Fortunately, it was an old country road and no one was out at this hour of the morning.

Kiwisa from North Shore, New Zealand

Absolutely stunning - such a beautiful photo

26 Nov 2009 11:22pm

@Kiwisa: Thanks Kiwisa (I love your name). I hope to hear from you again.

DarkElf from Perth, Australia

sometimes simplicity rules and you have shown it off here perfectly! excellent composition by placing the wavy horizon low in the frame with the solitary tree catching the eye nicely... this is compliment by superb colours of the early morning sky... beautiful indeed!

27 Nov 2009 1:15am

@DarkElf: Thanks for your comments (see my reply to Zoom). I agree with everything you said. These moments are all around us at both ends of the day if we just take the time to seek them out.

LauraS from Chico, United States

Just a delightful photograph. Very cheerful sunset.

27 Nov 2009 1:20am

Didier DE ZAN from somewhere, France

Great shot ! I like this composition and the colors

27 Nov 2009 6:10am

Sof from Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Great shot

27 Nov 2009 1:42pm

@Sof: Thanks.

Scott F. Schilling from San Martin, United States

The moon seems to carry a lot of weight in an image - I like the balance between the tree in silhouette and the moon - the color is fantastic also! It is not always easy to get correct exposure on the moon so that the crescent is clean and crisp. You have done it here perfectly and I like the size of the crescent in this image. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are recovering today!

27 Nov 2009 5:56pm

@Scott F. Schilling: Thanks Scott. I'd like to mention two important facts about using a crescent moon in an image: let the moon wash out, it is not important that detail be recorded in a crescent as it would be in a full moon, it is an accent to the image; second, you are correct, the moon does carry visual weight and that should be respected and considered when placing the moon in the image. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family also!

Daniel from Kenmare, United States

great shot.

27 Nov 2009 6:36pm

Barbara from Oakland, United States

Simply lovely. Lovely simple. Just a perfect composition...and that sky! Wow!

28 Nov 2009 7:14am

@Barbara: That old acronym KISS is relevant in so many ways to photography. Thanks Barbara.

Babzy from Besançon, France

Axsome shot ,i love it , what a good surprise discovery the tree !!

28 Nov 2009 7:54am

Babzy from Besançon, France

Awesome shot ,i love it , what a good surprise discovering the tree !!

28 Nov 2009 7:54am

@Babzy: Thanks Babzy, there were plenty of trees available, the hard part was finding one to isolate.

Foto-aksent from Binkom, Belgium

This is a great compo!! I love it very much. The moon and the tree are at the wright place! The colors are top!

28 Nov 2009 4:20pm

Tracy from La Selva Beach, United States

This appears simple at first, but even for something simple to work, you really need to know what rules to break first! This is just wonderful--- You make it look easy...but I know it's not!

29 Nov 2009 2:06am

@Tracy: Thanks Tracy, as you know, nothing is really that easy in photography. But the key is getting out there and keeping an opened mind to the possibilities. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.