Mission Peak - Elevation, Sunset, Full Moon... Breathtaking on Many Levels

I made the hike to Mission Peak, above Freemont, California, for the first time today. It's an amazing hike, long, steep and hot... and worth every step once you reach the top. Overlooking the San Francisco Bay at that elevation was a humbling and breathtaking experience. It was an incredible perspective.

Once at the summit, the light breeze and view down onto the San Francisco Bay made it a great place to sit and relax while I watched for the sun to set and the light to turn magical.

As the sun began setting, I realized the color/scene over the Bay wasn’t going to be very impressive this evening, so I turned my attention to the rising moon and colorful sky behind me. I grabbed up my gear and headed further up the trail to a rock outcropping where I planted my tripod. There was a pretty good wind so I hooked my backpack onto the underside of my tripod to weigh it down, reducing movement while I took my shots — this helped ensure I would get a crisp shot.

I had packed my tripod, ball-head and shutter release cable as well as a couple Cokin filters for this particular shoot. I attached a Cokin ND4 Graduated Filter to the front of a Canon 17-85mm IS USM, and using a shutter release cord, captured the scene. Technically, everything looked good on the preview screen, and the histogram said I had detail at both ends. And the view I was trying to capture was awe-inspiring.

I managed a shot of a glowing full-moon as it came up from the south-east, just as the sun set behind me. As I’d hoped, the light did indeed turn magical!

After packing up and taking a few moments to inhale the last remnants of the day, I hiked back down the mountain. The full moon lit the trail so well that I had a shadow to accompany me almost the entire way home. This was a shoot I will not soon forget!