"Moonhawk" The December Full Moon in Arizona is my favorite moon of the year, given its early rise that coincides with sunset, making for lighter skies and beautiful horizons. On December 9, 2011, I was photographing the moon over Four Peaks Mountain and other nearby mountains from the edge of the Tonto National Forest in AZ. I was just about to put away my gear for the night, as I got the images I wanted and the moon had since risen beyond the peaks at too high of an angle to capture it beautifully for landscapes. Just then, a Harris Hawk flew atop a nearby Saguaro. I happened to have enough time to switch over to my 500mm lens + 1.4x teleconverter, mount it to my tripod (already set up), run about 50' to frame the shot, and grab this image before the hawk flew away. It all happened in seconds. What a moment! ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

"Magical Sonoran Moonrise" I captured this image a few moments prior to capturing "Moonhawk" (the image of a Harris Hawk in silhouette with the full moon). The moon rises quickly over the Sonoran Desert and though it can take a while to get to the right spot (in this case, a-45 minute drive for me). It's still worth it! When the moon rises in just the right spot---with the most incredible Saguaro framing it--and gorgeous magenta mountains in the background from the setting sun behind me, all while I am in a completely and utterly quiet desert--well.... it becomes a magical moment! ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.