Twilight, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn

Tonight's sunset was epic. The kind that only happens a few times a year. And as usual I had only a few minutes between assignments at work to find a foreground to do justice to the show in the sky.
While there are many benefits to living in Davis, idyllic landscapes famous landmarks are not on the list. Certain I didn't have enough time to find a good spot in the fields outside of town I headed to the train station. But the southerly position of the December sun didn't line up well with the old SP depot. I decided to let this one pass and headed home to check up on Abby before my next assignment. As I turned on to Eighth St the sky was an amazing pink. I had to find someplace to shoot at and the cemetery was my only option. A year or so ago they had installed a new fountain structure and I thought I could get a decent reflection in the pools. Unfortunately the water had been turned off for the cold weather. It's too bad because the scene balanced pretty well.



I'll keep it in mind next time I'm looking for a nearby landmark.

On Saturday my favorite landmark within a short drive of Davis was in the perfect position for the last lunar eclipse til 2014. I checked the US Navy's moon data site and figured out what time I needed to get up to shoot the alignment of the Sacramento Tower Bridge and the moon. I woke up early, ate breakfast, and headed up to Sac. As drove across the bridge towards The Capitol I realized I'd calculated something wrong. The moon was already dead center on the towers. By the time I parked and ran out to the Capitol Mall with the camera the moon had moved north of the bridge. To add insult to injury I managed to get the three other photographers dedicated enough to get up at 5 am on a winter Saturday who actually got the shot in my shot.

As the moon headed behind the Drexel college building and the sun started to light up the sky I turned around to catch the sunrise over the Capitol building. A light rail train passed by at just the same time.

I packed up the gear and headed back home. As I crossed the bridge the water on the river was so still it was almost a mirror. I pulled off and took a quick walk along the West Sac riverfront. The sky was too bright and plain for a good photo of the bridge. But considering I already had a Breaking Dawn and Eclipse photo I figured I needed a good Twilight photo to go along with them.
The forecast for Tuesday's sunset was clear skies and no wind. So before sunset I drove back across the causeway hoping for smooth water. When I saw the waves rippling across the river I was pretty disappointed. But since I was already there I had to give my shutter finger its dues. I scrambled down to the water's edge and set up the camera. As the sun disappeared so did the waves. When the twilight sky turned that perfect blue I got the shot I was hoping for.

Now that I have three parts of the Twilight saga complete around the bridge in Sac I'm going to need to come back around the New Moon and finish it off.