116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Moon Dogs

Feb. 1, 2013 2:31 pm
I've been wanting to make a photo of the sun dogs that I saw during the day but the opportunity never presented itself. My wife was even texting me, telling me how cool they were. I was resigned to the hope that the phenomenon would continue the next day.
The opportunity did present itself. Instead of sun dogs I shot moon dogs. Sportswriter Jeff Linder pointed them out to me as we and KCRG's John Campbell drove back from covering the Waukon girl's basketball team's win over MFL Mar-Mac in Waukon. The win gave Waukon coach Gene Klinge his 1,000th career win. Check you Jeff's report here. My photo gallery of the game is at the top of the link. Check out John's report here.
The weather and driving conditions weren't safe for pulling over on the side of Highway 150 on our drive south. I was almost home when I made the decision to shoot something. It was 12:45am and the shoulder was wide and cleared of snow so I felt pretty safe.
It's just a quick, happy snap-type of picture. I like the red glow from my taillights. It also showcases the capabilities of the Canon EOS-1Dx. I shot this at ISO 8000 at 1/4 sec. and F 2.8.
Moon dogs appear to the left and right of the moon as seen along Wright Brothers Boulevard on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in rural Fairfax, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)