Moonrise at Hearst Castle

I visited Hearst Castle recently for an unguided "Gardens and Vistas" evening tour; sunset and full moonrise were about the same time, and with clear weather, I hoped for pictures of the full moon rising over the Castle buildings as they were illuminated by sunset glow. It was a pleasant evening, and I took a few good pictures, but it turns out that I should have done more homework.





Moonrise was 8:07, and sunset was 8:24. Tours end at sunset, and I was frantically scanning the sky as the sunset bells rang, looking for where the moon would rise. Tour guides and security staff were sympathetic, all looking for a hint of moonrise while gently shepherding me back toward the last bus. I'd about given up hope for a moonshot when security staff came racing toward me around 8:30 - the moon - it's full over there - take some pictures! And I got a few good shots - not with the buildings as I planned - then dashed off to catch the last bus down the hill.


After that visit, I've found a cool program which shows the sight lines for sunrise and moonrise for any location using Google maps - The Photographer's Ephemeris - http://photoephemeris.com/



This software (currently free for the desktop, available for the iPhone) shows time and directions of sun and moon rise and set for any location. It's easy to use, and I could have seen exactly where and when the moon would rise, allowing me to plan the photo in advance. This is a great tool for photographers looking to capture the right light.