48.7

I'm not sure where the drive comes from to do things like this... but it sure is fun to see where it takes me. This image was shot after a cold, super windy snowshoe trek to a peak called Cupid (elevation 13,117 feet) above Loveland Pass, Colorado.

A year ago, I didn't really consider the moon as a good thing when shooting stars. I figured moonlight would make most of the stars disappear. But then, I wasn't really taking advantage of the mountains because they weren't getting enough light to even appear in my pictures - they were just silhouettes. After reading a night photography book over the summer, I changed my strategy and figured a partial moon might help illuminate the peaks without losing the stars.

Gradually, I've been shooting with a thinner moon each time out with this night's moon being just 21% full - the thinnest I've gone after so far. In the end, I still find it amazing how the long exposures pick up so much light. The mountains appeared great and the light pollution from Denver (50 some miles away) added a significant sunrise-like glow. And up top, the stars appear in force. All this and 14,000 foot Torreys Peak and other mountains dominating the scene... I do hope you like the results.