I came across this moonrise over Half Dome scene while heading back to camp on my mountain bike after an early day scouting eastern Yosemite Valley for prospective photographic opportunities. When I arrived at this location the moon was still low enough to allow me time to get back to camp and grab my camera gear and return to make this photograph. It was a rather windy day and it was next to impossible not capturing some foliage movement in the foreground, I did wait for a few lulls in the wind but the moon was rising fast and I had to shoot. I did shoot some negatives after the moon had rose above Half Dome just a little but they were less appealing. I chose to use a light red and polarizing filter to significantly darken the blue sky which would accent the moon and Half Dome against the near black sky, this also darkened the green foliage of the pine trees.