I went out to capture the full cold moon rising behind Marblehead Light tonight under very challenging conditions. The moon began its rise more than an hour after sun set on the shortest day of the year and so I had to find a vantage point that had its own lighting to help showcase the moonrise taking place within Marblehead. With the lighthouse decked out in lights for the season, I decided that would be the best foreground element and found that the Dolphin Yacht Club offered a perfect spot from which to capture the moon.
 
As I continued to shoot but faced the issue of having to bracket exposures in order to capture the face of the moon as well as adequately light the foreground. The second image is a composite of two shots – one for the moon and one for the foreground. The moon was not adjusted for size but the details merely painted in. I’m curious what you think of it…