Red Hill Three and the Supermoon by Mickey Strider

Captured at 3:30 a.m. on the night of a Supermoon, this long-exposure photograph features the iconic dead trees at Red Hill Marina on the Salton Sea. The photographer sought to capture the dramatic moon shadows cast across the landscape, utilizing a long exposure to pull detail from the darkness. The decision to convert the final image to black and white emphasizes the stark, haunting textures of the trees against the celestial glow. This work stands out for its technical patience and the photographer's ability to transform a desolate, nocturnal environment into a compelling, ethereal narrative.

Red Hill Three and the Supermoon by Mickey Strider
Canon EOS 60D with Sigma 10-20mm
Exposure 120sec @ f/5.6 | ISO 100 | Focal Length 10mm
Copyright Β© Mickey Strider
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Mickey Strider

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Mickey Strider developed an early passion for visual storytelling, earning honors at the Baltimore County Film Festival before studying art at the Maryland Institute College of Art. His extensive career spans advertising, film production, and directing, including notable work on CGI television specials and award-winning short films screened at festivals nationwide. Now based in Encinitas, California, Strider brings a seasoned cinematic perspective to his photography, blending technical precision with a deep understanding of narrative composition honed through years of professional experience in the film and advertising industries.

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13.0/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
264/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
14,452 views | 7 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date August 19, 2014
65.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 17.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Calipatria, California, The United States

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Mickey Strider Photography
Night Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (12.7/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,416/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
14,452/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.1/5 points
2/100 Review
Submissions
2.6/5 points
264/500 Submission
Jury Score: 65.0/80
Resonance Score: 12.7/20
Total Award Score: 77.7/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 5

Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Of the thousands of night shots I’ve reviewed, most rely on cheap gimmicks. Strider’s work survives because of that 120-second exposure. By dragging the shutter, he turned the Salton Sea’s decay into a velvet void. I’ll admit, the silence in this frame actually makes me hold my breath. It’s the decision to strip away color that saves it; without the distraction of hue, the skeletal trees become permanent, haunting anchors against that impossible, glowing moon.
Amara Diallo Portrait, Human Story & Narrative Portraiture Expert Review
We look at these skeletal trees and we don’t see a landscape; we see a congregation. Mickey Strider didn’t just wait for the moon; he sat in the dark and listened to the silence of the Salton Sea until the earth began to speak. It’s haunting, how those branches reach up like desperate, arthritic hands. I find myself shivering, feeling the weight of their long, lonely vigil. It’s a portrait of a place that’s forgotten how to breathe.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
Stripping away the chromatic spectrum feels like a betrayal of the Salton Sea’s bruised, saline soul, yet one can’t deny the haunting silver-grey of these skeletal trees. It’s a monochrome Morandi, where the absence of colour forces the eye to ache for the missing ochre of the desert floor. I’ve stared at these gnarled, lunar-lit branches until my own skin felt brittle, mourning the vibrant, toxic decay that’s been silenced by this stark, celestial, and lonely exposure.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The wide-angle distortion pulls the horizon into a precarious arc, anchoring the dead trees against a bloated lunar disc. It’s a rigid geometry. The negative space doesn't merely exist; it exerts pressure on the skeletal branches. I’m genuinely unsettled by how the long exposure flattens the depth, turning the Salton Sea into a void. The frame holds, though the composition teeters on the edge of chaos. It’s a calculated, cold architecture of light.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Shadow isn't merely the absence of light; it’s where the landscape confesses its mortality. In these skeletal trees at Red Hill, I feel a sudden, cold ache in my chest. Strider hasn't just captured a moonlit desert; he’s forced the darkness to articulate the silence of the Salton Sea. It’s a brutal, monochromatic reckoning. When we strip away color, we’re left with the raw geometry of ghosts. It doesn't invite us in; it demands we endure it.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Priya Kapoor

The Salt on the Tongue

The air at three in the morning has a specific, metallic bite, like licking a cold iron gate in the middle of winter. It tastes of dry earth and ancient, evaporated tides.

Read the reflection →
By Yuki Sato

The Watcher in the Dark

There is a particular kind of grace found only in the deepest hours of the night, when the world has finished its frantic pace and surrendered to the quiet. In this stillness, the earth seems to exhale, shedding the weight of the day to reveal something ancient and unadorned.

Read the reflection →

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