The Full Moon Sets at Sunrise behind the Mount Soledad Cross
This "blue moon" shot nearly didn't happen!
I spent a lot of time planning this shot, figuring out when things would line up just right, scouting the shooting location, and then two mornings during the "blue moon" of August, 2012, out there battling the marine layer and trees and houses that were in the way, in the desperate hopes of getting this shot—that all came together at the very last moment!
This is La Jolla, California's, Mount Soledad Cross just before sunrise with the setting blue moon framed behind it. While the cross is white—not orange, as it is seen here,—it is in fact this color in the photo. I believe that the cross color is a form of "alpenglow"—the beautiful orangish light that shows up at the tops of hills/mountains just before sunrise.
You can read more about how I nearly didn't get this shot, and see my total failure shot from the morning before, on the blog.
This photo is available for purchase as a print.