Between Moons in the southwest

Every landscape photographer knows that one of the best times to include the Moon in landscape photos is one day before the full Moon. On that day, the Moon rises around the same time as the Sun sets; this results in a nice light balance during golden to blue hour transition, because as our satellite rises, the landscape is still illuminated by the fading light of the sunset. As a bonus, the following morning the Moon will set around sunrise time, again providing an excellent opportunity for a good light balance. On the day of the actual full Moon, it rises after sunset, which means the landscape will be darker.

During my recent vacation time in the southwest coast of Alentejo, Portugal, I had the opportunity to photograph during the full Moon, so I made plans to choose a nice setting for such. Being familiar with the area, I chose to photograph the Moon rise in Odemira, and the Moon set in Milfontes. In Odemira I set up near the local windmill, which in itself is an interesting subject. By being located in an elevated area, I would see the Moon rising over the surrounding hills. Then, in the ensuing morning I would go to Milfontes to photograph the Moon setting over the river Mira estuary. I have already shared some photos taken during such sessions in my previous essay.

All the best plans can be laid to waste if weather does not cooperate. Fortunately, I was lucky, as the weather cooperated. I drove to Odemira about one hour before sunset, to take some photos of this nice village. The winding road twists and turns as it descends towards the Mira valley, with some good view points along the way.

Odemira windmill
Odemira windmill

I spent several minutes photographing the windmill and the village during the sunset. It is a nice spot that affords a 360 degree view, from the village proper to the rising heights towards the South, that culminate in the Monchique mountain at 900m of altitude.

Odemira dusk
Odemira windmill – the wind blows through the cones
Looking South, with the Monchique mountain in the background

Once I saw the Moon rising over the hills in the East, I started photographing it, with the camera firmly mounted on the tripod. I was glad to have a telephoto zoom with me, to provide compositional flexibility from my fixed location. Light levels go down very quickly, so keeping an eye on the exposure histogram is very important. Also relevant is to avoid exposure times that would blur the Moon, which actually moves quickly in the viewfinder!

Moon rise – first peak
Moon rise

During this period, I kept an eye on what was happening behind me, as dusk was coming over the village. I made some interesting photos of the windmill and the day-to-night transition.

Transition
Moon rise

After this good photo session, I called it a day and drove back home for dinner. Next step: wake up before sunrise to photograph the Moon setting in Milfontes. The following morning the coastal area was partially covered in fog. I wanted to photograph from the bridge over the river, as it provides an excellent view of the estuary and the village. Fortunately, the area over the river was not completely covered in fog, and the setting Moon was visible. I set up my camera on the tripod in record time, and started to shoot.

Milfontes Moon set
Milfontes Moon set
Milfontes Moon set

Towards the East, the river was still under the foggy shade of the mountains, enhancing the quietness of the place at this early hour.

Dawn coming
Dawn over the river

After such a good outing, I returned home for a well deserved breakfast. No matter how many times I photograph in this region, I never get tired of it. There is always something new, due to the changing light and the time of the year. Following the Moon in about a 12 hour period was a great way of showing the character of this singular region, from the interior to the coast.

Fujifilm X100V – initial photos

I have just returned from a few days of vacation in southwest Alentejo, during which I had the opportunity to use a friend’s Fujifilm X100V camera. This is the fifth generation of an iconic camera, and it introduces two major changes to previous models: a redesigned lens (to improve the performance at close focus distances, while wide open) and an upwards tilting screen. At least, these are the major modifications that have made me curious to try the camera. Oh, and of course the camera now is weather resistant, provided you add the adapter plus filter set.

The camera maintains the overall nice retro design from past iterations, and feels robust in use, which are both good things. I made several photo sessions during my days off in the region, including Odemira, Milfontes, Almograve, and Longueira. I tested the close focus performance, which is indeed very good, but to be honest this is something I have never used much with previous versions. What is very nice to have is the tilting screen, which facilitates low angle shots significantly; it is something I am used to in my other cameras, so I am glad it was added.

My first shots were taken during a short walk at the end of the evening near the village of Longueira: rural scenes, an old tractor, and the local windmill were used as test subjects.

Tractor
Tractor wheel close up – excellent performance and gradual fall off in the background

Fuji have also updated the ND filter to 4 stops, which may come in handy in some instances. I had to engage it for the shot below, as shooting against the light easily surpassed the camera’s top shutter speed.

Windmill close up, shot at f/2 with ND filter engaged

During the following days I had occasion of making more close up photos of several subjects, and they all came out very good. Seems like the new lens is indeed more capable in this type of situation.

Old wall close up
Grass close up at f/4

I also used the camera during a session dedicated to photograph the Moon rise and Moon set in Odemira and Milfontes, respectively. One day before the Full Moon, our satellite rises around sunset time; the following morning it sets close to sunrise time. This is a very good chance to make some interesting photos. In Odemira I walked up one of the hills to set up near the local windmill, but I made a quick diversion to photograph an old abandoned farm house.

Ruined house in Odemira, B&W conversion
Rusty bucket, Odemira
Windmill in Odemira
Windmill in Odemira

Wind blowers against sunset

As soon as the Moon started to rise behind the distant hills, I was busy making several photos of the surrounding landscape.

Moon rise in Odemira
Odemira dusk
Moon rise in Odemira

The little camera worked flawlessly and without skipping a beat. The following morning I woke up very early to drive to Milfontes to photograph the Moon setting over the Mira estuary. This is such a beautiful and peaceful location, I never get tired of returning to it.

Mira dawn and Moon set
Mira dawn

During the following days I have continued to use the camera as a documenting companion to my holidays. I took more photos in Almograve and Cabo Sardão.

Flag and waves, Almograve beach
Strolling, Cabo Sardão
Going home, Cabo Sardão

This was an excellent chance to try this new camera, which looks to me as a good upgrade from previous versions: the tilting screen is important to me, and the new lens performance at close up is good to have as well. Overall, the new X100V is a very worthy successor in a line of cameras that has helped establish Fujifilm’s reputation in the digital imaging age.