Two of our favorite Long Island Sun Chasers, Trish Minogue Collins and Patty Mede, made a trip out to Montauk last Saturday to catch the December Full Moon rise over the Lighthouse. They lucked out with a beautiful evening and some great surf action, enjoy!
Solitude. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about landscape photography. Being alone in a landscape really helps me to get in tune with the elements, and in a sense, to let the shots find me. Being a social creature, I also like to be around people, and being a woman, I realize that it is not always wise to be hiking around alone in the twilight or darkness surrounding those magic hours. I realize that shooting with other photographers has its benefits. There is always more to learn in photography, and it’s wonderful to share and grow together. Shooting with others however, can also be a distraction at times, and can impede creativity.
The best situation, in my view, is when you team up with a photographer who shares your mindset, your appreciation for what you see, and is comfortable pursuing their own vision while you pursue yours. One such photographer for me is Patty Mede. We have taken several road trips together. We’re like Thelma and Louise, except we stop each other from driving off cliffs. Our latest trip, and one that has become a tradition for us was to Montauk Point. This is the second year in a row we have gone to watch the December full moon (The Cold Moon) rise over the holidays lights at the lighthouse.
I love shooting with Patty because we easily agree on where to pull off the road, she gets blown away by the same light and lines that I do, but she also points out things that I may not have noticed. She has a kind of poetic way of viewing everything around us. Heading out to Montauk on this day, we knew the surf was big, but I had heard it was blown out, and to my disappointment, there wasn’t likely to be surfing going on. Our first stop was Camp Hero. The light was gorgeous, the waves were outstanding and dotted everywhere with surfers! Patty and I each went our own way to get our shots. I opted for the long lens, mostly, and she went with wide-angle.
As the light faded, we ran over to the point to gauge the moon position and were treated to amazing sunset colors in all directions, including facing east behind the lighthouse. I shot from the shore, while Patty chose the view from the field. We traversed the dark trails at the Point several times in the fading light waiting for the moon to come out of hiding, making me doubly glad to have a shooting partner. We consulted on the best place to shoot from, and gave each other a heads up as we adjusted settings and tried to catch the moon between the clouds. When all was said and done, it was one of the most satisfying excursions I have had in a long time.
If you’re lucky enough to wrap up a successful shoot with a friend, especially in Montauk at Christmas, Patty and I advise you to find a pub with a table by a warm fire and celebrate! I look forward to the next excursion with my talented friend, and if you see us on the road, we may make sudden stops and hop out of the car with our cameras, but we will never drive off a cliff!
