Tonight the moon was spectacular. It was not full yet, but the sky was clear and the stars were glistening. The moon had a full ring around it. It was lit up bright. Everyone on the island that has a facebook account was buzzing about it. All the photographers were out trying to capture it, and do it justice. I grabbed my camera, and tripod and headed for the beach, trying to avoid the ambient light spilling over from the hotel across the street. After I shot a few shots, at various exposures, I returned to the house to upload and share them. Many times when taking any types of skyscapes or moon pictures, time is of essence. Having to work quick because everything changes in a matter of minutes. But tonight was not that way. Its like time just stood still. Over the course of several hours, the magical rings were still there. It reminded me of a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind….I remember seeing that in the movie theater as a kid. I decided to go back outside and thought of how to create a more interesting image of the moon and its rings. Wanting to capture a piece of Tybee. I set up my equipment under the palm tree in front of our home. It was still tricky shooting, because it was too dark to focus on the tree. I grabbed a flashlight so that I could at least get the camera in focus. Then set some long creative exposures. A quick glance in the monitor, and I knew I had the shot I was looking for. Don’t you just love it when things come together and create something beautiful? I said some prayers tonight under the moon. I have family and friends that need a miracle right now. Praying for things to come together and create something beautiful.