Last evening, I took a tripod and a new camera to East Point, on Saturna, to see if I could get the hang of night photography.

I still have lots to learn about exposure, timing, focusing, and operating my new camera in the dark… (Hello, what was I thinking?)

Above, the early part of the show, once the moon rose above the haze/fog of Bellingham, on the West Coast. It was 7:51 p.m. local time.

 

After about 15 minutes, the moon’s orange and gold brilliance became more intense.  I apologize for the fuzziness of this photo, taken at 8:04 p.m.  I will need to check out and set up the remote shutter app, so I don’t have to touch the camera (and make it vibrate) to activate the shutter – especially at night.

 

And 10 minutes later, at 8:15 pm, the moon was already losing its orange tinge.

And at the same time, a Holland America cruise ship – the Oosterdam – leaving Vancouver on its way to San Diego,  was coming through. It was following Boundary Pass, the international line that separates the Canadian and American islands…

As you can see, I had issues with speed settings. The moon was fairly stationary, but not the cruise ship! Here is the Oosterdam, in all its glory, full speed ahead, and all its lights blazing. And more than a bit fuzzy…

 

Viewed from a distance, a cruise ship produces an impressive “light waterfall” on the water.

 

And across the pass, the towers of Orcas Island leave a red trail in the waters of Boundary Pass.