Sunday, October 5, 2014

October Full Moon Rising Over Cleveland 2014


This is from last years December Full Moon Shoot
Cleveland Moon rise


Ok the first of the Full Moon Rising Over Cleveland Cool Photo Ops is 10/8, 10/9, 10/10, don't worry if you can't make this one cause there will be events in November and December too.

More info on this event can be found here: October Moonrise over Cleveland Cool Photo Op


Now the question is where is the best location to shoot from and where over the city will the moon rise? Unlike the sun, the moon rises at different times and different locations every night. We will be shooting over 3 nights, Wed, Thurs, and Fri. Each night offers something different, so pick the night you prefer or go on multiple nights. Now here's some info on each night.


Wednesday 10/8  Meet at Upper Edgewater or Perkins Bluff around 6:00pm

Sunset: 18:57 (6:57pm)
Moonrise: 19:11 (7:11pm) 99.6% full. The moon will rise to the south of the Terminal Tower
Good Location to shoot: Upper Edgewater Park
Better Location: The Bluff over Perkins Beach
Best Location: Lakewood Park, from here the moon will rise more toward the center of the city, however I'm not sure what time Lakewood Park closes at this time of year. Also not as many people can shoot from Lakewood as they can from Edgewater. Note you will also be a lot farther away from the city and may need a longer lens.

The lighting of the city and of the moon may be the best on Wednesday, since the moon will be rising shortly after the sunsets.  We will still have some light on the city as the moon starts to rise.

Upper Edgewater Shooting Location:

The light blue line shows where the moon will rise over the city from Upper Edgewater Park




Perkins Bluff Shooting Location:
Here you will get the moon rising a little farther North, but still south of the Terminal Tower




Thursday 10:9 Meet at Upper Edgewater or Perkin's Bluff around 7:15 to set up your stuff, get there earlier if you want to get the light of the setting sun shining on the skyline.

Sunset: 18:55 (6:55pm)
Moonrise: 19:50 (7:50pm) 96.9% Full The moon will rise at the horizon north of the Terminal Tower.  Please note that we may have to wait 10 or 15 minutes to see the moon since it has to rise above the skyline so we may not see it till it's south of the Terminal Tower. Again the light blue line is where the moon will rise.
Locations to shoot from are Upper Edgewater and Perkins Bluff

On Thursday the moon will rise well after sunset so the city will be dark, the Terminal Tower will be lit up in various colors

Upper Edgewater shooting location:



Friday 10/10  Meet at Upper Edgewater Park at around 7:45pm

Sunset: 18:53 (6:53pm)
Moonrise: 20:32 (8:32pm) 91.6% Full the moon will rise more toward the center of the city
Locations to shoot from: Upper Edgewater park

On Friday the moon will rise more toward the center of Public Square and again well after sunset. Terminal Tower will be lit up.

So there you have it, pick the night best for you, remember to keep an eye on the weather!

Remember we are meeting at UPPER EDGEWATER Park NOT Edgewater Beach, the entrance to Upper Edgewater Park is at the Intersection of West Blvd and Cliff Drive.

Here is a map where to park and shooting locations.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Cool Photo Ops Road Trip Checklist

Here's a Photography Checklist of things to bring along on a Photography Road Trip....


  1. Cameras
  2. Batteries and charger
  3. Memory Cards, card reader and card holders
  4. Tripods
  5. Flash
  6. Filters - Polarizer, ND Filters, Split ND filters, filter holders
  7. Camera Bags or belt packs
  8. Lenses - all lenses from wide angle to telephoto, macro, fisheye
  9. Remote cable release
  10. Flashlight
  11. Rain gear - poncho, rain pants, rain cover for your camera
  12. Hiking boots
  13. Hat and jacket or sweatshirt
  14. Computer, external Hard Drive, cables, power cords
  15. Rocket Blower, Lens Pen, microfiber cloth, sensor cleaning kit
  16. GPS, for the car, handheld for hiking, one for the camera if you like geotagging your photos
  17. Sunscreen, Bug spray, sunglasses
  18. Binoculars for spotting wildlife
  19. Spare set of car keys
  20. Water Bottle or for some people I know a flask!!!
  21. Notebook, pen
  22. Snacks
Well that's the list for now if anyone has anything to add let me know!

Now that you have your gear packed and ready to go, you may need ideas of fun places to take photos, a great resource is the Cool Photo Ops group on Facebook where we list fun places to take photos in Ohio and beyond. We also go on Photography Road Trips from time to time, the next big road trip is a trip to Blackwater Falls in WV on May 18 - May 22nd, everyone is welcome!  

Join in on the fun here:  Cool Photo Ops