Local contrast and brightness adjustments.

I got another great shot of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles this morning – this time with the setting full moon! I love the observatory and have been looking to get a "romantic" shot of it with the moon like this for years. Thanks to PlanIt for Photographers for making it possible to find the time and location for this shot!!

The camera location was difficult to determine because all the options are in a very dense urban hillside. I worked over an hour scouting the location by checking PlanIt, Google Maps, driving, looking for spots without trees or homes blocking the view – then repeating the process! I actually got this location when I was driving down the hill to go home, frustrated that I didn’t find a spot. Then I saw a glimpse of the observatory down somebody’s driveway! Turns out, it was as perfect a spot as I could imagine. The camera location is about 4 miles "as the crow flies" to the observatory.

The weather this morning was perfectly clear and dry, too. It’s always exciting to get the camera set on the tripod and only work on focus and exposure with the confidence that the shot will come at the exact time shown in PlanIt! I love this app! The next item on my “expensive toys” shopping list is a sharper lens!!