This unexpected find features the full moon setting just before sunrise last week.This log cabin sits right along a back road, and I walked out in the field across the street to use my 70-200 to help magnify the moon. Wish I had brought a longer lens but honestly it was so cold I am not sure I would have felt like walking another hundred yards out. Shooting the full moon requires doing so at just the right time or you run the risk of having an overexposed moon or underexposed foreground.This was shot minutes before sunrise so the ambient light was getting stronger. This is not really a ranch but reminded me of something from Colorado or Wyoming.

Sometimes I just do not know when to call it a night when I go out shooting,and sometimes my persistence pays off thanks to that effort. Take this shot as an example that was captured after dark on a road that was closed due to flooding.My friend and I went out for sunset and recent snow melt and heavy rain had several roads closed which we used to our advantage to shoot scenes without any cars bothering us.Anyway,I dropped him off after sunset and as I headed home,I decided to look at this flooded farm in the dark. I liked the way the house reflected in the flowing water and since the road was barricaded,I figured no one would be driving by.

I set up my tripod in about 6 inches of moving water and to be honest it was a bit intimidating standing in moving water and the width of the flow was about 3o feet or so.So first I captured long exposures for the sky, etc and then had to walk back and forth across the flooded road to light the barn and house.The biggest problem I had was cars that decided to try crossing the water and since I was standing there in the dark,I had to signal them to slow down,one for their own safety and two,so my camera would not get hit by a tidal wave.

To finish the story I will tell you I had every intention of getting a sunrise shot here with the barn reflection the next morning and seeing the water in the field was at least two feet deep when I shot this,I figured it was going to be amazing.Got there an hour before sunrise,realized there was not a drop of water left in the field and to add to my dismay,there were four pickup trucks parked along the farm fence on the left,so thanks to my diligence the night before I was able to seize the moment. the lower photo shows the scene as it was as I was shooting it and you can see how being around the water might have my senses keenly alert.The water was not flowing in such a volume that it could have swept me away,but if I would have slipped,I would have gotten real soaked for sure.