testmeat photoblog

the first night camping on the inca trail the night seemed to fall pretty quick and early. as dark as it was, our eyes were drawn to one of the mountain faces surrounding our campsite. there was a light emanating from behind it, faint at first but getting stronger. we called a few people out of there tents to look, and a few seconds later the edge of the mountain top started to glow and the moon peaked over the edge. i tried to take a picture with my little camera, but it didn't come out well so i rushed back to my tent, rooted through my bag to get my slr. when i got back outside the moon was over halfway out. predictably, because of the low light, i needed a longer exposure than i was able to stay stationary for, so i balanced my camera on the ground and the camera bag, angling it up at the sky. i then noticed the disadvantage of switching cameras, i had no screen to line up my shot. i hesitated at what to do, as now quite a crowd had gathered around, but eventually succumbed to the inevitable and laid on my belly, head on the floor and eye up to the viewfinder. i had to fiddle with the settings, and make sure that i used the timer, so there wasn't any camera shake. eventually i got this one just as the moon had left the mountain cover, literally minutes after we'd first spotted the faint glow. it was the first time that i'd ever seen a moonrise.

because of the circumstances and conditions, the sky was even brighter and more colourful than this picture illustrates - and certainly more so than the original